


The Green and the Yellow, Book 1: Destiny Awaits

by DoveShadow



Series: The Green and the Yellow [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Friendship, Green Ninja, Lloyd needs a best friend, Ninja, Ninja never quit, Ninjago, OC is an Orphan, Shenanigans, Yellow Ninja, Yes I know Yellow Ninja is so original
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 55,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23330884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoveShadow/pseuds/DoveShadow
Summary: Having been an orphan her entire life, ten-year-old Aurora has never known what it’s like to be part of a real family. She’s never really been good at keeping friends, either, and while she doesn’t mind spending her days in solitude, she wishes for something more in her life.All that changes the day Aurora meets a young boy named Lloyd, dangling from a roof in her village. She quickly discovers that he’s the son of the scary Lord Garmadon, and that he’s vowing revenge against the heroic ninja of Ninjago. Despite all this, she decides to accompany him on his crusade---not only seeking adventure, but hoping to finally make a friend along the way.She could never have guessed that choice would change her life forever…
Relationships: Lloyd Garmadon/Original Character(s), Nya/Jay Walker
Series: The Green and the Yellow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677793
Comments: 31
Kudos: 39





	1. Episode 1: How to Make A Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Prophecy tells us that two ninjas will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja and the Yellow Ninja. The powerful Green Ninja, with the help of the fabled Yellow Ninja, will one day rise and defeat the dark lord…

I was never really that good at making friends.

Not only was I kind of shy, but it just never seemed like I had an ideal opportunity to try and talk to other kids. Nobody was really too eager to try and connect with me, either. The few friends I did make ended up leaving soon afterward.

But today, as I was about to discover, friends can appear even in the unlikeliest of places.

Jamonakai Village. My home for as long as I could remember---at least, it was the closest thing I had to a home. I’d never really had a  _ home _ home, because I was an orphan. I’d lived in the village’s orphanage my whole life. I was ten years old, but had never been lucky enough to be adopted. But no big deal; it was nothing to be sorry about. It was just an unfortunate fact of my life.

Today began like any other. As soon as the orphanage’s supervisors said us older kids could leave after breakfast, I was the first one out the door. There weren’t many of us living in the rather small orphanage, but the small building still felt cramped to me sometimes. I took advantage of as much outside time as I could; sometimes I even snuck out at night to stargaze in the plaza. I’d never been caught doing it; somehow, I was just too sneaky. At least that was one good thing going in my life.

Anyway, back to the story. While the other kids grouped together to play games in the orphanage’s grassy courtyard, I beelined for the village itself, just a really short walk down the stone path. I gratefully inhaled the fresh air, soothed by the cold mountain air mixed with the sweet scent of flowers. Something good was going to happen today; I had this feeling that told me so.

Once I arrived inside the village, I slowed down to a stroll. A few people waved at me in greeting as I passed by, recognising the kind, raven-haired orphan girl that never failed to wander their streets. The mountain air was extra frosty today, but I didn’t mind; I was wearing my usual purple hoodie over a light yellow t-shirt, as well as jeans, so I wasn't going to get cold.

I thought to myself, trying to decide what to do on such a nice day as this. I neared the main plaza, when a troubled shout broke the peaceful atmosphere.

“Get me down from here!”

My head jolted upward, and I was shocked at what I saw. There was a boy, around my age it seemed, hanging from the top of a store building! “What the heck?” I exclaimed quietly, baffled by the sight.

The boy wore a black hoodie with a green 5 imprinted on it, and white marks that resembled the ribs of a skeleton that looked like they’d been painted on. The poor boy was hanging by the back of said hoodie, struggling to try and free himself.  _ Who would do such an awful thing to him?! _ My good heart demanded I help him immediately, and so I ran over to stand beneath him. “Hey!” I shouted up to him, gaining his attention. “Need some help?”

The boy nodded, seeming almost embarrassed. “You mean...you’re gonna help me?”

“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” I told him, smiling in reassurance. Heading over to the side of the building, I found a few wooden crates that were stacked perfectly, creating a way to the roof. I swiftly climbed up them, arriving up on the roof in no time. I went over to the boy, grabbing his hand and then gently prying his hood off the corner it was stuck on. Using all my strength, I hauled him to safety onto the roof.

“T-Thanks,” he told me once he was safe, giving me a small smile from beneath his hood.

I nodded, smiling brightly at him. “Sure thing! I wasn’t just gonna leave you up there.” My expression then turned sour as I asked, “Who did that to you, anyway? That’s just plain cruel.”

“The stupid ninja put me up there!” the boy grumbled, his expression also turning sour. “All I wanted was some candy, but they just had to come in and ruin my fun!”

“The ninja?” I echoed curiously. I had heard of Ninjago’s resident ninja before. I’d never seen them in person, but I had heard of their good deeds and how they’d fought against skeletons and Lord Garmadon. One of the caretakers at the orphanage was very adamant that we were updated about exciting recent events. They made good bedtime stories, at least. “Why would ninja hang you from a building if all you wanted was candy?”

The boy crossed his arms. “Okay, maybe I was demanding it from everyone and threatening to release the Serpentine on them,” he admitted in a huff. “But I was getting what I wanted before those stupid ninja showed up!”

Demanding candy? Threatening to release the Serpentine?  _ Okay, I guess he’s a troublemaker of some sort. _

“Maybe if I had  _ actually _ released the Serpentine, I would’ve gotten away with it,” he pointed out, frowning.

I made a face. “Uh, I wouldn’t recommend that…” Weren’t the Serpentine just a myth anyway?

“Whatever,” he said, shrugging. He turned around and started making his way down off the shop’s roof, and I followed him. “They’ll soon learn to fear me!”

_ Fear _ him? Who was this kid? “Why do you want people to fear you?” I asked as we reached the ground.

He turned to me with a smirk. “Because I’m Lloyd Garmadon, son of Lord Garmadon! I’m the future dark ruler!” He emphasized his point with an evil laugh.

_ Wait, what?  _ This guy was the  _ son _ of Lord Garmadon?!  _ I didn’t even know he had a son.  _ Still, despite the sinister nature of Lloyd’s words, his proclamation was more...adorable than scary.  _ Okay, so the boy isn’t really evil. Mischievous and a troublemaker, yes. But evil? I don’t think so.  _ In addition to being sneaky, I was also really good at reading people. I supposed that made two good things going for me?

“Well, nice to meet you, Lloyd,” I replied to his dramatic introduction, smiling warmly despite his dark promises. “I’m Aurora.”

Lloyd nodded at me. “Thanks again for getting me down from there.” He turned and started walking away, out of the alley. “Well, see you around.”

It was weird, but I was almost...sad to see him go. I’d known Lloyd Garmadon for only five minutes, but for some reason I wanted to be his friend. Something was drawing me to him… I had no idea what was urging me to stay with him, to not let him just walk away and never see him again. There was this strange feeling in my gut, and the farther away Lloyd walked, the stronger it became.

Well, one thing I’d learned early on in life was to always trust your gut.

My legs acted before my mind came to the decision. “Wait up!” I called after Lloyd. I caught up with him after he rounded the corner of the shop. He turned around to face me again, confusion on his face. “Want some company?”

He made a half confused, half surprised face. “You...want to come with me?”

I nodded, smiling in excitement. “Sure! I’m bored of this place, anyway.” I then looked down at my feet for a moment. “Besides...no one should be alone, you know?” I knew the feeling all too well. Perhaps with Lloyd, I would finally find a friend who wouldn’t go away in the end?

Lloyd grinned at my words. “Well...okay!” he agreed, seeming excited at the thought of not being alone. “You can help me get my revenge on the ninja!”

I inwardly cringed.  _ Okay...not what I had in mind, but…  _ How much harm could this boy do? His idea of evil was stealing candy. Besides, the thought of having a friend again outweighed the potential trouble he could cause.

And so was the beginning of an incredible adventure, the likes of which I could never have dreamed of. I certainly had no idea of what lied before us back then, innocent as I was. But destiny works in mysterious ways. I would forever look back on that day and be glad that I decided to go with the son of Lord Garmadon on what would turn out to be a perilous journey.

The fate of Ninjago would depend on it, after all.


	2. Episode 2: Rise of the Snakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wait, the Serpentine are real?! Maybe coming along wasn't the best idea after all...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! Hope you're enjoying the story so far! I know that Lego Ninjago fanfics aren't as popular as they once were, but I just felt the need to post this story somewhere and share it! I already have all of season one written, so I'll most likely be posting chapters every day! Currently working on season two and planning to go through all the other seasons! Well, you know, as long as I still have my Netflix subscription...
> 
> Anyway, enough of my rambling. Enjoy! Feel free to leave a comment!  
> ___________

“So, um…” I rubbed my arms to try and warm them. “Do you know where we’re going?”

“Of course I do!” Lloyd snapped back at me. “Why wouldn’t I?” He didn’t sound so sure of himself, but he definitely wanted to fool me into thinking that.

I shrugged. “Okay, if you say so.”

It had been around an hour since I’d decided to follow him. He’d led me out of the village, grumbling about the ninja on the way, and out into a snowy landscape beyond Jamonakai Village. When a blizzard started forming as we walked, I began to have second thoughts about my decision to accompany Lloyd. _At least I’m having an adventure_ , I tried to think optimistically as we trudged through the snow and frosty wind. _Right?_

“Stupid ninja,” Lloyd grumbled spitefully for the hundredth time as he kicked a rock. “I’ll show them who they’re dealing with.” The little cape on his hoodie fluttered behind him as he walked, continuously kicking the rock whenever he walked up to it again. This continued on for a little bit, when Lloyd kicked the rock and a metal clang sounded when it landed.

“What was that?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” Lloyd replied, scrambling up the small hill. I followed him. I saw something buried underneath the snow, but had no idea what it could be. Lloyd saw it, too. “Hey, what is…?” He dug around in the snow to uncover whatever was beneath us. That’s when he looked up and gasped.

I followed his gaze, and gasped, too. There was some sort of giant metal engraving peeking out from beneath the snow. At first, I couldn’t tell what the markings meant. “Whoa…” The longer I stared at the markings, the more sense they began to make. The engraving looked like a face, the face of...a snake?

I almost missed Lloyd spotting a snake-shaped lever and pulling it. That’s when the ground began to rumble, and I stood up in shock as the metal engraving began to open up. A mysterious-looking green mist seeped out of the opening, as if the thing hadn’t been opened for centuries.

Lloyd made a frantic noise next to me, and I looked over just in time to see him slip on the icy edge. I lept over and was able to grab his hand, half of my body hanging over the edge as the boy dangled above the now gaping pit. _I’ve got him!_ I thought triumphantly.

“Help!” he shouted up at me, looking terrified.

“I’m...trying!” I grunted, trying to pull him to safety. Even when I summoned all of my strength, I couldn’t pull him up an inch. I was just too small. The icy metal beneath me wasn’t helping, either; I was slowly sliding over the edge. “I can’t hold on!”

Despite trying my best, gravity won out in the end. My body slid completely over the edge, and together Lloyd and I went tumbling into the deep, dark pit, screaming all the way.

The fall wasn’t long, thankfully. The two of us bounced off some rocks, then went sliding on some ice before finally coming to a stop. I groaned in pain as I lay there, and I could hear Lloyd groaning next to me. At least we were both relatively okay, right?

I heaved myself to my feet when Lloyd did, grunting at how sore I was gonna be later. That’s when I got a good look at where we were. It was an icy cave, the ice so crystal clear and blue that it was almost pretty. Despite being surrounded by ice, it was surprisingly warm in this cave. The question was, why was this place sealed away? “Where are we?” I asked aloud in a whisper.

“I’m...not sure,” Lloyd admitted, seeming as confused as I was.

“You are out of your mindsss to venture ssso far from home, little onesss.”

Lloyd and I whirled around, and what I saw made my mouth drop wide open. It was a snake. But it wasn’t just any old snake; it was a giant blue and gold snake with scary red eyes, and it could _talk_. It was also holding a staff of some sort, with a glowing blue orb in it. His tongue slithered out of his mouth as he talked, making me notice the gleaming white fangs poking out from his mouth. It was then I realized that this snake could only be one thing.

_A Serpentine?!_

The giant snake slowly slithered towards us, grinning evilly. “Look into my eyesss,” he coaxed us, slowly backing me and Lloyd into a corner. His tail started rattling, making me more terrified. “Give up your mindsss.”

_Uh, how about no?_ I forced myself to look left, right, anywhere but the giant snake’s eyes. I could see Lloyd doing the same, but he also didn’t seem to have any ideas on how to get out of this. _This isn’t where we die, is it?_ That would suck. Really badly.

“I will control you,” the snake told us, continuing to try and hypnotize us with his eyes.

I grabbed Lloyd’s arm. “Don’t look at him, Lloyd!” I told him, ducking my head down. If we never looked into his eyes, he couldn’t hurt us.

He made a noise of surprise, but copied me, ducking down to hide his eyes from the giant snake and huddling close to me.

Nothing happened for a moment, then I heard a dazed groan come from the snake. Lloyd and I ventured a look up, only to see the giant snake swaying around, as if he were in a trance. He wasn’t trying to hypnotize us anymore, which was all I cared about. Lloyd and I stood back up, and I looked at him confused. Then, I looked behind us, only to see a stalagmite of ice poking up out of the ground. It’s surface was clear, acting as a mirror; I could see my reflection clearly. Then I looked up at the giant snake’s reflection, and it hit me. _He just hypnotized himself!_ I smiled in relief. _Wow! We didn’t even mean to do that!_ Wait until I told everybody I made a snake hypnotize himself!

Lloyd realized what had happened, too, and a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. He chuckled, turning around. “No,” he told the snake firmly. “ _I_ will control _you_ from now on.”

I giggled a little, nudging Lloyd. “Good going,” I told him. It was way better to have a giant snake do our bidding than for us to do his. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what Lloyd would do with the command of a giant snake such as this. _Probably just try and steal more candy,_ I thought, a little amused by the idea.

“What shall you have usss do, massster?” the giant snake asked Lloyd.

“Us?” Lloyd echoed, confused.

That was when a symphony of hissing and rattling began. Out of the shadows of the icy cave slithered out _more_ blue snakes. Small snakes, big snakes, snakes that walked on two feet like us; they were everywhere! _I can see why this place was sealed up now!_ I looked around in trepidation, inching a little closer to Lloyd. _There’s an entire army of snakes down here!_

The multitude of snakes that appeared only made Lloyd grin wider. “My own army of snakes!” he exclaimed joyfully. “Isn’t this great, Aurora?” he asked me.

I gave him a nervous grin. “Yeah...great.”

Lloyd did his “evil laugh” again, and this time I couldn’t help but think of what he’d do. Of what he’d started by opening this tomb of Serpentine; something I’d thought was only a myth earlier today. I gulped as my imagination ran wild with the possibilities.

_Relax,_ I told myself. _What else is Lloyd gonna use them for besides stealing candy?_

. . .

“Take the candy,” Lloyd shouted, commanding all the snakes at his disposal. “Take it all!” He did an evil cackle again, and I tried not to giggle at it.

The Serpentine were right behind us as Lloyd pushed a wheelbarrow full of candy through Jamonakai Village, daring anyone to try and stop him. Luckily enough for us, when we’d managed to have the giant snake hypnotize himself, he just so happened to be the leader of all these snakes. So whatever Lloyd told him to do, he’d tell all of his snakes to do. Lloyd really did have control of an entire snake army.

So far, things were going as I’d predicted them to. Lloyd ordered the snakes to steal all of the village’s candy, and the snake General was hypnotizing the villagers to help them gather it. I didn’t like seeing the villagers cower, run in terror, and eventually get hypnotized; it didn’t sit right with me. But nobody was getting hurt, so…

Besides, what could I do? I didn’t know how to fight, so I couldn’t take on an army of snakes. And I wasn’t sure I could convince Lloyd to give up his new army because it was the right thing to do, what with how dead set on becoming Ninjago’s future dark ruler as he was.

Sure, I could always slip away and leave, but...something told me not to. I had no idea why, but I felt obligated to stay by Lloyd’s side, despite not even knowing him for a full day. He could eventually need some help if things went wrong. I mean, he was dealing with snakes; something was bound to go wrong sooner or later. One of my favorite bedtime stories was all about how you should never trust a snake.

Lloyd handed me a few pieces of candy as we walked, stuffing some in his face after he did. “Thanks,” I’d told him with a smile, beginning to munch on a lollipop. I put the rest of the candy away in my pockets for later. Lloyd wasn’t the only one with a candy obsession.

As we walked, I heard one of the snakes talking to their leader in front of us. “Thisss makes no sssense, General,” he stated. “Raiding an entire town for sweetsss?”

Okay, so it seemed not all of the General’s snakes followed him blindly.

“You will do as I command,” the General shouted at him, “because I hold the ssstaff.”

Interesting. _So whichever snake has that staff is the leader?_ Good to know for future reference.

Lloyd and I pranced through the village with our wheelbarrow of sweets. Anymore candy we spotted was soon added to our growing collection. I had to admit, despite this hostile takeover rubbing me the wrong way, I was kind of having fun. It was certainly more excitement than I’d seen in awhile, that was for sure. I also took care to hide my face whenever I spotted anybody from the orphanage who might recognise me.

Before I knew it, I’d moved on from my lollipop to a candy cane, then to cotton candy. Lloyd had consumed a lot more candy that I had by this point, and was now jittering at all the sugar running through his system. The boy couldn’t stop smiling or laughing. “I’m _never_ coming down from this sugar high!” He cheered like a lunatic, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his behavior. The sugar was affecting me as well; I was giggling a lot more often now.

Suddenly, four colorfully dressed people appeared out of nowhere, landing in front of us. They carried golden weapons, and wore awesome outfits with pullover masks covering everything but their eyes. I stopped laughing instantly, and so did Lloyd. _These are the ninja!_ I realized, half worried and half amazed. _Wow! They’re so cool!_ I couldn’t decide whether to geek out or run and hide.

“Sorry to bust your buzz, little Garmadon,” the ninja in black said.

“But it’s already past your bedtime,” the one in blue finished.

Lloyd didn’t seem worried in the least. He turned around, smirking, and shouted to the Serpentine, “Get them!”

The General turned our way, rattling his tail. “Seize them!” he ordered, pointing at the ninja. His snakes rushed forward, running our way.

“The Serpentine?” I heard the ninja in red exclaim. “They’re real?!”

The Serpentine, as well as the hypnotized villagers, began to surround the ninja. Lloyd and I remained next to our wheelbarrow of candy. Lloyd was smirking in triumph, but I was starting to feel guilty again.

The blue ninja raised his golden nunchucks, preparing to attack when the white ninja stopped him. “No! We could do more harm than good,” he pointed out.

“I guess that leaves us with: RUN!” The four ninjas lept out of the circle of surrounding hostiles, scattering in different directions. I watched them leave in awe, admiring how they so swiftly and easily lept onto and across buildings, disappearing from sight. _So cool!_ I now had the strangest urge to be a ninja, but I knew it would never happen.

Lloyd grabbed my hand and started running, pushing the wheelbarrow in front of us. I stumbled at first, but then let him drag me along. “Ha!” he exclaimed loudly. “Consider this a warning, ninja!” And cue the not-so-scary evil laugh again.

He wasn’t paying attention, and so never noticed when two golden shurikens landed in our path, spreading ice where they stuck in the ground. “Lloyd, look out!” I said, trying to warn him.

I’d been too late, and Lloyd ran the wheelbarrow straight into the shurikens. The wheels crashed into them, sending Lloyd flying over the ice and landing on his upturned wheelbarrow. He’d still been holding onto me, so I went tumbling onto the ground next to him. I heard a shout of “Ninja, go!” behind us, followed by Lloyd shouting, “Aah! My candy!”

I shook my head to clear my dazed self, just as a glowing white tornado swerved in front of us. The white ninja appeared from it, glaring at Lloyd. “Sensei was right,” he said. “Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today. We should’ve dealt with you the first time around.”

_I mean, they kind of already did,_ I thought as I sat up, rubbing my aching arm. _They hung the poor guy from a roof!_ I looked up at the ninja, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but Lloyd spoke before I could.

“Retreat!” he shouted, scrambling to get off the wheelbarrow as the white ninja approached him. The General echoed his order, and the Serpentine scattered, running off in all directions. Lloyd scampered off with them as soon as he could, and before following him, I smiled sheepishly at the white ninja. 

“Sorry about all this,” I told him, then turned and sprinted after Lloyd, catching up with him in no time.

Before we got too far, I turned back to see the four ninja turn all the villagers back to normal using the General’s staff. I smiled in relief, glad the villagers were going to be okay.

. . .

“Ugh…” Lloyd groaned in misery after we’d all arrived back in the Serpentine’s tomb. “Candy… I need candy!”

I snorted, rolling my eyes. “You just had a ton of candy!” I told him, stuck between amused and annoyed.

“I need more,” he told me, whimpering. “Candy…”

I sighed, reaching into my pocket and pulling out some of the candy I still had. “Here,” I told him, holding the candy out to him. “You can have mine.”

Lloyd lit up like a child on Christmas. “Really?!” he exclaimed, taking the candy from my hand. “Yes! Thanks, Aurora!”

His smile was infectious, and I found myself mirroring it. “You’re welcome, Lloyd,” I told him, giggling.

Two snakes watched us from afar, and their shouting had me eavesdropping on them. “The boy and girl set us free,” the General pointed out.

“They are children!” His right hand, Skales I think he was called, wasn’t having any of this. “They are not one of usss.”

“I may not have the ssstaff,” the General admitted, “but I am ssstill your general. Stand down!”

I frowned. _Yep, the bedtime story was right. Never trust a snake._ The General would do whatever Lloyd wanted him to, but the rest of the snakes… If they found probable cause, they would rebel and potentially do us harm. Well, I wasn’t gonna let that happen. Lloyd may be oblivious, but I wasn’t. I’d keep a close eye on the snakes around us.

I was determined to protect my friend. I wasn’t about to lose another one.


	3. Episode 3: Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They HAD to destroy our treehouse... And it was getting really cool, too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oopsies, I totally meant to post this yesterday, but things happened and I forgot. Sorry everyone! Enjoy!  
> _____________

With the candy raid having been foiled, I couldn’t help but wonder what Lloyd Garmadon would command his army of snakes to do next. Try raiding another village? Go play pranks on people? Scare whoever we could find as if it were Halloween?

No. He ordered them to do the most diabolical, most evil, most dastardly thing anybody could ever do with an army of giant snakes at their disposal.

He ordered the Serpentine to build him a treehouse.

“Hey!” Lloyd shouted up at the General and Skales. He’d done a lot of shouting today. “If we plan to rule Ninjago from here, this elevator needs to have a trap door. I want more booby traps!”

The General bowed. “As you wish, young Garmadon,” he said obediently before slithering away, waving Skales off to go do the work. In a strange way, I kinda felt bad for Skales.

I turned to Lloyd as we made the elevator go down. “We should put a trap door in every hallway, ones that lead all the way down to the ground.”

Lloyd turned to me with a smirk. “Good idea, Aurora! I’ll go tell the General.” He hopped off the elevator as it stopped, walking off to find the giant snake.

I had to chuckle at his enthusiasm. He had evil intentions, sure, but I could see how good he really was at heart.  _ It’s because of who his father is, _ I reminded myself.  _ He really wants to live up to the name… _ If I’d known my parents, I would’ve probably wanted to follow in their footsteps, too.

When I wasn’t with Lloyd, I was helping some of the snakes with their work. They were kind of out of their element, being up so high in the trees, so I figured I could lend them a hand. Before I knew it, night had fallen. Lloyd kept the snakes working into the night, wanting his treehouse--I mean, base of operations--done as soon as possible.

I sat next to him on a slab of wood the snakes were carrying on their shoulders, trying not to nod off. I hadn’t slept in a while. Lloyd barking orders out helped keep me awake.

“If I see one girl in here besides Aurora, I’m gonna go ballistic,” he told the snakes.

I smiled as my eyes drooped closed again.  _ I’m touched that he excluded me… _

“Aurora?”

I jolted awake, jerking my head over to Lloyd. “Y-Yeah? What is it?”

Lloyd was frowning in...concern? “Are...you okay?”

I put on a smile, nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I suppose I’m a little tired, too.” He hopped off the wooden slab. “Come on, let’s go.”

I used my hands to push myself off of the wood and onto my feet. Lloyd led me to the elevator, and eventually up to the top floor of the treehouse, where he’d dubbed “his room” would be. He walked over to the edge of the walkway and sat down, staring out at the bright full moon. I decided to join him, plopping down next to him.

“Nice night,” I pointed out, smiling as I admired the stars above us. It had always been one of my favorite pastimes, especially when I couldn’t sleep.

“Yeah,” Lloyd said distractedly. By his tone, I could tell that something was bothering him.

“Something on your mind?” I asked him, my fatigue forgotten for the moment.

Lloyd was quiet for a second before responding. “Do you think this will be a good place to rule Ninjago from?”

I was taken aback by his question. “Uh…” How was I supposed to respond to that? “I think so?” was what came out of my mouth.

The boy nodded. “I just wanna be able to follow in my dad’s footsteps, you know?” he admitted. “I wanna make him proud for when I see him again.”

Ah. So  _ there _ was the real dilemma. I smiled, scooching closer to Lloyd so I could rest a hand on his shoulder in comfort. “I say he’d be proud of you,” I assured Lloyd. Of course, I didn’t know Lord Garmadon, had never met him, but if I was an evil lord and had a son following in my footsteps, I’d be proud, right? That was my ten-year-old logic on the situation, anyway.

Lloyd looked up at me, smiling. “You think?”

I nodded. “Yeah!”

He chuckled, his spirits heightened. After a moment, he turned to me with another question. “What about you? What are your parents like?”

My smile vanished, and I hung my head. “That’s the thing… I never knew them.” I sighed, becoming crestfallen as I always did when the subject was brought up. “I’ve been an orphan for as long as I can remember, living in the orphanage in Jamonakai village.” I then shrugged, looking back up at Lloyd and giving him a small smile. “But hey, at least nobody’s missing me, right?”

“No wonder you were so cool about leaving with me,” Lloyd thought aloud. He then sighed, too. “I never really knew my mom. She abandoned me when I was younger, at Darkly’s Boarding School.”

I looked up in surprise.  _ His mom...abandoned him? _ Was that what my parents did to me? I’d always wondered and imagined why they’d given me up. All the orphanage’s caretakers could tell me was that they’d found me on their doorstep one day, as a baby. Why had my parents given me up, then? I’d always liked to imagine that it was because they had to go fight a war or something, and couldn’t take me with them. But who knew? Who knew if I’d ever know? “I’m so sorry, Lloyd,” I told him. I then smiled. “I suppose we have that in common, huh?”

Lloyd smiled at me. “Yeah. Guess we do.”

. . .

Another day, more working on the treehouse---I mean, fortress.

Lloyd and I had fallen asleep shortly after our talk. Despite still only knowing him for a few days, a bond had definitely formed between us now. We were kindred spirits, bonding over our lack of parents. I knew I’d made the right choice in following him and leaving the orphanage behind. As cheesy as it sounded, I felt like it had been destiny for us to meet.

“Watch it!” Lloyd shouted at some Serpentine working on the structure. “No, bigger!” Then, “Come on, we don’t have all day. It’s not time for a lunch break.”

Lloyd was having the time of his life ordering the Serpentine around. I was just along for the ride, but I still enjoyed his antics and the fun little pranks he pulled on the poor unassuming snakes.

Lloyd chuckled evilly to himself as we walked through the treehouse, which now had walls. “It’s almost finished,” he proclaimed, raising his arms dramatically. “Soon, my fortress will be complete.” He spotted a Serpentine nearby. “You!”

The snake turned around with a confused “Huh?”

“Hold up that sign for me.”

The Serpentine scrambled to pick up the crudely made sign, which stated “NO NINJA” in white lettering.

Lloyd smirked and pulled a lever. The poor snake went falling through a trapdoor, yelling in surprise as he fell. Lloyd and I ran over to peer down the trapdoor after him. “Booby trap!” Lloyd shouted after him. The poor snake went tumbling down the branches and ladders all the way to the ground. Lloyd laughed, smiling at me. “You were right about the trapdoors in the hallways, Aurora!”

I hesitantly smiled, glad I could make him happy but also feeling guilty. “Uh, you’re welcome,” I replied uncertainly.

Suddenly, I heard a whirring noise, then the whole treehouse tilted sideways, throwing me and Lloyd off balance. Then it tilted again, sending us sliding down the floor and over to the railing, which thankfully stopped us from falling off. Loose pieces of the treehouse rained down around us, becoming more unstable by the second.

“What’s happening?!” I exclaimed over the noise.

Lloyd looked around, then gasped when he looked upward. I followed his gaze to see one of the ninja from the village, the red one, on the roof. “I said no ninja!” Lloyd shouted. “Attack!”

Just after he said that, I heard Skales shout, “Everyone! Retreat!”   


The Serpentine seemed caught in the middle for a second, then decided to scurry down the stairs and off the treehouse, running for their lives. I sighed sadly.  _ And it was shaping up to be such a cool treehouse, too… _

Lloyd panicked when all of the Serpentine started evacuating. He ran up to Skales. “Don’t go!” he pleaded. “We have to protect my treehouse fortress!”

“Your tree houssse?” Skales echoed, clearly annoyed. “It’s about time we did thisss!”

Uh oh. I didn’t like where this was going.

“Did what?” Lloyd asked nervously.

Skales pulled an all-too-familiar lever, opening up a trapdoor I had no idea was beneath us until now. I tried to grab onto something but failed, falling down with a screaming Lloyd into a cage while the snakes all laughed.  _ Aw, come on! _ I thought in frustration.  _ I should’ve been more observant. _ Why had I put the idea in Lloyd’s head to make trap doors in the hallways? This was my own fault, really.

“My treehouse…” Lloyd whined, hanging his head sadly.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “We could always build another one someday,” I told him, smiling to cheer him up. “Although next time, maybe we shouldn’t use snakes to do it.”

. . .

Some of the snakes followed Skales to get their staff back while the rest of them waited, transferring me and Lloyd from a cage to being tied to separate ropes so the Serpentine could lead us by our wrists. Eventually the other snakes returned triumphant, and they all began heading back to their tomb, dragging me and Lloyd off with them.

_ Great, just great. _ Who knew what these snakes were going to do with us? If Lloyd couldn’t get the General to free us, then we were in big trouble. I tried to find a way to escape, but at the same time, I was petrified by all the snakes surrounding us. Now that they weren’t listening to the General, I became more and more afraid of them.  _ I helped some of them out, _ I recalled.  _ Maybe they’ll let me go? _

Eventually, we reached the tomb again. Skales was leading the charge, wielding the staff. The snakes seemed to favor him more now than the General, their actual leader.

“Lloyd,” I whispered as the snakes chattered amongst themselves. “What do we do?”

“Uh…” Lloyd seemed as stuck as I felt. He turned to the General, who was slithering next to us and being very unuseful. “Do something, General,” Lloyd urged him. “You’re still under my command, right?”

The General was quiet for a moment, then seemed to remember that he was, in fact, still under Lloyd’s control. “Enough!” he shouted at everyone, halting in his tracks. “I am the general!” He pointed at Skales. “You will return my ssstaff at once!”

“No,” Skales replied, almost menacingly.

The other snakes began chattering in anticipation, wondering where this was headed.

“You  _ dare _ challenge my command?” the General shouted.

I saw Lloyd smile. Maybe things were looking up?

That’s when the appembled snakes began to chant. “Slither Pit,” they chanted. “Slither Pit.” They began quietly, then grew louder and louder until they were shouting it. “Slither Pit! Slither Pit!”

Skales was smiling, nodding his head. “I guess we will have to fight for it...in the Slither Pit!”

The snakes all cheered excitedly. I gulped audibly.  _ I don’t like where this is headed… _

Soon, everyone was assembled for the Slither Pit. Lloyd and I had our wrists tied to a thick pillar of ice, watching nervously and hoping for the best. I didn’t spot any sharp pieces of ice within my reach, unfortunately, and so escape wasn’t an option at the moment.  _ I hope the General wins, _ I thought nervously.  _ Who knows what Skales will do with us if he wins? _

All the snakes were shouting and cheering in anticipation, all clearly excited for the big fight. One snake stood above the rest, holding the staff as he addressed everybody. “Winner gets the ssstaff and leads the tribe,” he announced. “You know the rules: there are none. But in the Slither Pit, whatever I say goes.”

The two opposing snakes nodded.

“All right, fight!”

Skales and the General faced off against one another, squaring each other off before the General swiped his long tail at Skales. He hopped over it easily, then tried to punch the General, who caught his arm and then went for a hit of his own. Skales leaned out of the way, then went in for another hit, landing it this time. Everyone’s attention was on them, including my own, and the snakes shouted and cheered as they watched.

My gaze was torn away from the fight when Lloyd moved. I turned to him to see him slowly move around me and reach for something nearby. It appeared to be some sort of rolled up parchment stuck in the ice, half sticking out.  _ A map?  _ I guessed.

Lloyd couldn’t quite reach it, struggling against the rope that tugged on him. I snorted, shimmying around him and gently moving him back. I then walked over and somewhat easily snatched the map from the ice. I was tied closer than Lloyd was, so it was easier for me. He and I scurried back to our spot before anyone noticed us. I handed the map to Lloyd discreetly.

“Thanks,” he whispered to me, and I nodded. He stuffed the map into his back pocket, then decided to start cheering to cover up any suspicious activity. “Go, General, go!”

“You can do it!” I added.

One of the snakes turned around to give us both looks, and we merely smiled at him in return.

The General and Skales had been given weapons made of ice while we weren’t looking. I heard the General’s tail rattle, and I knew he was trying to hypnotize Skales. He wasn’t having it, however, and kicked the General in the face, breaking his concentration. He then charged at him, swinging his two swords at him while the General did his best to block them with his shield. Skales then did this weird thing where he swayed his body, then ran at the General and kicked him in the jaw, hard enough to send him backward and down onto his back.

“Uh oh,” I muttered.

“Get up,” Lloyd shouted at him. “Get up!”

The General tried to stand, but was too weak. He’d been defeated.

“We have a winner!” the snake moderator held Skales’ hand up. The gathered snakes cheered his name as he was handed the staff. Immediately, he and the General started glowing. The General’s long snake tail was slowly removed and transferred to Skales, as well as his golden scales. It was clear who the leader of the Serpentine tribe was now.

Skales pointed the staff down at the former general. “You will be loyal to  _ me _ now!”

“I will do as you command,” the former general replied, defeated.

Skales then turned our way. “You two!” I was worried out of my mind for a second that he was going to sentence us to some horrible fate, but his next words put my mind at ease. “Leave, and never return!”

Lloyd gasped in fear, but I sighed in relief.  _ Oh thank goodness! We get to leave. _ I didn’t like being with these Serpentine who could hypnotize you any longer. I’d never enjoyed it in the first place, really.

So the Serpentine let us go. Well, kicked out was more like it, but I didn’t care either way. I was just glad they weren’t going to keep us prisoner. I stood out in the snow with Lloyd, not really cold anymore. “What now?” I asked him.

The boy sighed. “I don’t know.” He began walking, and I followed.

I’m not sure how long we walked for. It could’ve been hours, for all I knew. The two of us just walked in silence. I could sense Lloyd’s disappointment at losing his snake army, and his plans being foiled. I wanted to comfort him, but I didn’t know how.

Eventually, the snowy terrain turned into a barren desert. We trekked across the desert as the sun set, and I had no idea where we were going. I’d never ventured this far from the village before. We went over a crest on the hill, and then spotted something. It was a ship, of all things; it was red, gold, and brown, and had this awesome dragon head on the front of it. “Woah,” I gasped aloud, amazed at the sight of the cool ship.

That’s when I heard distant laughter and shouting. It came from inside the ship. It sounded like there was a group of people in there, excitedly chatting and laughing with each other. I saw a few familiar colorfully dressed people in there, and that’s when I realized.  _ It’s the ninja _ .

I looked over at Lloyd. He’d realized it, too. He was looking between the map we’d swiped and the stranded ship. The look in his eyes...it was longing, almost sad?

_ He’s jealous of them _ . I could see that now. All that talk of family earlier---Lloyd wanted to be a part of it. But he was too caught up in his own desire to follow in his father’s footsteps to realize that. I was a little jealous, too, to be honest; I’d wanted to be a part of a family all my life.

Lloyd seemed to come to a decision. Sighing, he turned around, walking away in another direction. After one last glance at the ship with the ninja in it, I scurried through the sand after him.

He looked at me as I caught up with him. “Sorry I dragged you into all this,” he apologized.

I shook my head at him. “Hey, I chose to follow you. You have nothing to be sorry for.” I smiled at him. “Definitely way more of an interesting time to spend the weekend than be stuck in that boring village.”

“You probably wanna go back now, huh?” Lloyd stated it more than asked it; he seemed so sure I was going to leave him alone now.

Well, he was in for a shock. “Of course not!” I told him. “You’re my friend, Lloyd. I don’t just abandon my friends.”

Lloyd stopped walking, staring at me in shock. “I’m...your friend?”

I nodded, smiling brightly at him. “Yeah, of course! I’ve stuck with you this long, haven’t I?” After chuckling a little, I went on. “Sure, we ended up accidentally opening a tomb of Serpentine, but it was an adventure!” I walked closer to him, putting my hand on his shoulder again. “We’re friends, Lloyd. So I’m not gonna leave you.”

A giant smile spread across Lloyd’s face. “Really?!” He lept forward, hugging me tightly. “Thanks, Aurora. Thank you so much.” I happily hugged him back, and we stayed like that for a moment before he quickly pulled away, looking apologetic. “S-Sorry,” he said, blushing a little at the sudden hug. “It’s just been so long since I’ve had a real friend…”

I smiled, letting him know it was okay. “Me too.”

After going through so much together already, and after discovering just how alike we were on the inside, how could we not have formed a bond? I stuck by the friends that I managed to make, even if it meant following them into dangers unknown. Nobody deserved to be alone. Besides, something told me that Lloyd and I needed each other. Why, I didn’t know. But I’d find out one day.

All I knew was that I wasn’t going back to that orphanage. Not anytime soon, at least. I was on a new path now. Nobody would be adopting me, anyway.

Lloyd smiled again, holding the map up in triumph as we began walking again. “With your help, I’ll take over Ninjago in no time!”

Eh, that was the best I was gonna get out of him for now.


	4. Episode 4: Snakebit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can't decide which is scarier: the Hypnobrai...or the Fangpyres...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! So many kudos and hits already? Thank you all! Honestly, I didn't think people would discover this for a while. Glad you guys are enjoying the story so far!
> 
> (By the way, I hope you all are staying healthy, and aren't too bored. Any ideas on why people seem to think buying loads of toilet paper is a great idea? I can't figure it out.)  
> _______________

The map Lloyd and I stole from the Serpentine turned out to be a map of the Serpentine tombs of Ninjago. There were  _ five _ different tribes. Just a few days ago, I’d blissfully been unaware that the Serpentine were real, and now we discover that there are five separate tribes of them? What mess had I gotten myself into?

All of the tribes’ tombs were labeled on the map: Hypnobrai, Fangpyre, Venomari, Constrictai, and Anacondrai. The blue snakes we’d accidentally let loose were the Hypnobrai tribe, snakes able to hypnotize people to do their evil bidding. With an unusual ability like that, I kind of feared what the rest of the tribes could do.

Unfortunately, Lloyd was intent on opening up another Serpentine tomb, so he could have them take revenge on the Hypnobrai. I had immediately advised him against this, of course.

“Aren’t you worried that they’ll betray you in the end?” I’d asked him as we trekked across Ninjago, heading for the nearest Serpentine tomb. “You aren’t gonna get lucky like last time.” Never trust a snake, after all.

“I can convince them!” Lloyd had assured me.

I’d crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow at him. “And how do you know they won’t just turn on you as soon as you release them?”

“If there’s anything a snake doesn’t like, it’s another snake,” had been Lloyd’s reasoning. “They’ll leap at the chance to attack another tribe.”

I’d shrugged uncertainly. “You’re the evil expert, I guess…” I’d tried, but he was too sure of himself.

And so, Lloyd and I had followed the map across the desert and into a forest, searching for the tomb of the Fangpyres. The two of us talked along the way to pass the time. Well, more like Lloyd told me all about how awesome Fritz Donnegan was, and I just listened curiously. I was never much of a talker, but it was easier to speak freely around friends. Lloyd telling me all about Fritz Donnegan’s adventures made me want to read comics about him, despite never really being interested in comics before.

We’d found a place to sleep for the night when we’d reached the forest. I wasn’t sure how long we both slept, but we were both exhausted, and I felt quite refreshed the next morning. We set out again soon after waking up; we didn’t have far to go now. It was so early in the morning, however, that it was still dark. A spooky fog had descended over the forest floor as we’d slept, and I was getting a little creeped out. Shivers kept shaking my body every time I heard a scary noise. I tried to remain brave, telling myself that it was nothing, but the truth was I didn’t know that for sure. There was a Serpentine tomb somewhere in here, after all; who knew what else could be lurking here?

Lloyd had pulled a flashlight out of nowhere, so he wasn’t as scared as I was on the inside. He walked confidently through the spooky forest, holding the light with one hand and the map with the other. Soon enough, we came across the tomb.

It was much different than the Hypnobrai one had been. You could definitely tell this was a tomb. It was a circular graveyard, with a stone gate in the front that had a red crystal in it, looking like a sinister eye. I didn’t want to go in there at all, but Lloyd was going in no matter what, and it was better to stick with him.

We approached a twisted tree in the graveyard’s center. “Not spooky at all,” I said sarcastically, trying to ignore the growing fear in my stomach.

“It’s not scary,” Lloyd stated, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than me. Perhaps he wasn’t quite as unaffected by the spooky atmosphere as I’d originally thought. “Um, maybe just a little, but I like scary. Yeah, that’s it. I’m the son of the Dark Lord, I love the dark.” He sounded less and less sure of himself the more he went on. “I eat this stuff for breakfast!”

Just as he said that, his flashlight’s beam landed on the twisted tree. The light made it look like two snake-like heads springing out of the ground, and at first glance it was terrifying. Lloyd screamed, and his screaming made me scream. When I stared at the tree more, however, I calmed down, realizing it was our imagination.  _ It’s just a stupid tree!  _ I told myself.

Lloyd and I exchanged a glance, then silently agreed to pretend like it never happened.

“If I’m gonna make those Hypnobrai pay for betraying us, we have to find the Fangpyres,” Lloyd stated. “If there’s anything a snake doesn’t like, it’s another snake.”

I nodded, glancing around nervously. “Yeah, you said that…” I was so sure something was going to leap out at us at any moment.

We walked a few more steps, then arrived in front of the tree. “Here, by the mutated tree,” Lloyd said, shining his flashlight up to it, then to the ground in front of it. “I found it!” He kneeled down, swiping some of the dust away with his hand. There was a depiction of twin snake heads engraved on the stone, and I wondered what it could mean. “Soon, the Serpentine will know who their master is, and it will be I, Lloyd Garmadon!”

He was about to do his evil laugh, when lightning struck somewhere behind us, startling him and making him drop his flashlight. I was startled by the loud noise too at first, until I realized that it was just thunder. I began giggling, forgetting my fear for a moment, amused by the comedic moment and how Lloyd’s evil monologue had been interrupted. My friend turned to me after opening his eyes, glaring at me slightly when he heard my giggling. I stopped immediately, acting like I’d done nothing.

Lloyd then turned back to the tomb entrance. He found a stone button on the ground, and pressed it. The stone engraving of snakes swung downward, opening a gaping hole beneath the tree. Immediately, snakes began popping out of it, scaring me and Lloyd nearly half to death as they leapt out of their tomb and over our heads, landing all around us. They all hissed as they were freed, and Lloyd and I huddled close, frightened by how abruptly they’d all appeared.

_ Just great! _ I stared in horror at all the snakes around us.  _ Why didn’t I try harder to convince Lloyd to not open another Serpentine tomb? _ What was wrong with me?

The Fangpyre were mostly red and white, but every single one of them had huge fangs sticking out of their mouths, bigger than that of the Hypnobrai. And just like them, they came in all shapes and sizes. The biggest snake was the last to pop out of the tomb, and I could clearly tell he was their leader. For one thing, he had  _ two heads _ , and a really long tail like Skales did. He also carried a snake-like staff, but his had a red orb in it instead of a blue one.

“And who…” one of his heads said.

“...may I say released usss…” his other head continued.

“...from our captivity?” The heads were finishing each other’s sentences. That wasn’t creepy at all.

I hid behind Lloyd as the snakes approached us, but he was cowering, too. “Uh, Lloyd,” he answered, trying to make his voice sound more confident than he felt. “I released you to make the Hypnobrai pay for betraying us.” He gestured to me as he picked up the map, which he’d dropped in our moment of terror.

“The Hypnobrai?” The Fangpyre leader seemed interested now.

“Those hypnotizing deceivers,” the other head growled to the first.

“It’ll be…”

“...our pleasure!”

I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding, relieved that they weren’t going to eat us or something. “Thank goodness,” I whispered, mostly to myself.

Lloyd nudged me, smiling. “See? What did I tell you?” He then turned to the Fangpyre general. “Good. I’ll lead the way! Then after that, there’s some ninja I want dealt with.”

The General’s heads both smiled. “Sssounds like…”

“...you know…”

“...what you want.”

“But the Hypnobrai are ssstrong.”

“And we are few in numbersss.”

“We need…”

“...reinforcementsss.”

Lloyd nodded. “What did you have in mind?”

The Fangpyre general merely responded with a sinister hiss.

. . .

Lloyd and I traveled with the Fangpyres out of the forest and back into the desert, eventually arriving at a junkyard in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, this was what the general had meant by “reinforcementsss.” Were they going to build something to help them? My gut told me that it wasn’t quite that simple, and that I wouldn’t like whatever came next.

Lloyd and the General broke in, me hesitantly following behind as they shut off all the lights and cut the phone lines. There was an old couple living here, and I felt so guilty for going along with all this.

“What is it?” the woman said in confusion as the lights all went out. “Oh, why are the lights out?”

A man who I assumed was her husband ran over to her. “Call Jay, hon. Someone’s broken in!” he exclaimed.

“How about we wait until he calls you!” Lloyd held up the severed phone, cackling down from atop the trailer we were on with the Fangpyre general. I just looked away in shame, knowing I couldn’t stop this.  _ I just hope those ninja get here soon… _

The general spoke to Lloyd. “If we plan…”

“...to attack…”

“...the Hypnobrai…”

“...we’ll need to grow…”

“...our army.”

Lloyd frowned. “And, uh, how do we do that?”

“Let’s just sssay…”

“...we Fangpyre bite off more…”

“...than we can chew.”

The General then turned to address the hidden snakes. “Have at it, boysss!”

Growling and hissing, the Fangpyre army emerged from the shadows. They all scattered, finding old cars, helicopters, and other vehicles that were all but scrapped. That is, until they sunk their fangs into them. Whatever they bit morphed and changed as their venom spread through it, poofing into a fully functional vehicle of war with an intimidating snake-like design. It was the stuff of nightmares.

“My creations!” the old man exclaimed in horror. “They’re turning them into---”

“An army?” the Fangpyre general finished for him as he slithered up behind the poor couple. “You are correct.”

“But we can also…”

“...turn people, too.”

The Fangpyre all laughed and hissed in glee as they surrounded the poor old man and woman.  _ Oh no… _ I wanted to stop what they were doing, I really did, but what could I do against an army of snakes? As they closed in, I had to turn away, unable to bear witness to what they were going to do.

After a moment of hugging myself to try and chase away the guilt, someone spoke from behind me. “Uh, Aurora?” I turned to see Lloyd looking at me in concern, frowning. “What’s wrong? Upset stomach?”

I sighed, looking away again. “You could say that...”

. . .

Once the morning daylight began shining brightly, the ninja finally arrived. Apparently the old couple the Fangpyre had turned last night were the parents of one of them, and that just made me feel worse. The four ninja, plus a girl and an old man with a long white beard, came running into the junkyard, only to be met with the crane and wrecking ball the Fangpyre had found last night.

The blue ninja was reunited with his parents, and I was relieved. I was glad the ninja were here. They’d stop my friend when I wasn’t brave enough to.

They soon spotted us standing on top of a mountain of junk. “Lloyd!” the old man shouted.

“Hello, uncle!” Lloyd replied, smirking. “Looks like we’re not the only family reunion.”

_ Wait, what? _ The old man was Lloyd’s uncle? The Sensei of the ninja? Just how crazy was Lloyd’s family tree?

“I’m glad you brought the ninja,” Lloyd stated. “I could use some help taking out the trash. Mwahahahaha!”

The Fangpyres attacked, clashing with the ninja. I watched in awe as the four ninja used their golden weapons and awesome tornado abilities to fight the snakes.  _ I think it’s called...Spinjitzu? _ Was that the correct term for it? Whatever it was, it was amazing.  _ I’m jealous, I have to say. _

A few of the snakes started to surround Lloyd’s uncle, and I grew worried for a moment. Then, the old man pulled out a flute and began playing it. The melody was beautiful. Its effect was instantaneous on the snakes, making them cover their ears in agony as the girl from before kicked them all down.  _ Huh. These Serpentine aren’t as invincible as I thought. _

“Enough of the lame flute music,” Lloyd said from beside me, dragging a boombox out from the pile of junk. He switched it on, and rock music began loudly playing from it. Lloyd stood proudly next to it, his hands on his hips. “Now that’s more like it!”

His uncle looked back up at us, pointing the flute in our direction accusingly. “Young nephew,” he shouted over the music, “must I teach you who’s side you should be on?”

Lloyd responded by cranking up the volume on the boombox. “Sorry, uncle! Can’t hear you!”

His childish actions made me chuckle, despite my guilt.

The ninja continued to fight the Fangpyre snakes, and I watched in excitement, silently rooting for them. The Fangpyre got ahold of some giant mech, the ninja getting cornered between it and the giant wrecking ball. They struggled for a little bit, but eventually used the wrecking ball to knock the mech over.  _ Yes! _ I mentally cheered, smiling a little.

“Retreat!” Lloyd shouted, causing all the Fangpyres to scamper away. One of their transformed helicopters came up behind us, and Lloyd and the General hopped up onto a platform hanging beneath it. I looked back at the four ninja sadly before following them. All of the transformed vehicles followed us from the junkyard as the helicopter flew us away.

We didn’t make it very far before a blue jet shot past us, crackling with electricity.

“Woah!” I exclaimed, half surprised and half amazed.

“Uh, what the heck was that?” Lloyd asked.

The jet made a u-turn, flying back toward us. It was zooming straight for us, and I was sure it was gonna crash into us or something. Then it went spiraling out of control, zigzagging raggedly as it neared us.

“Duck!” the Fangpyre general shouted.

Lloyd and I followed his advice, ducking as the out-of-control jet shot past us again. We raised our heads once it was gone, and I stared after it in confusion. “Does he not know how to fly, or what?”

“The staff!”

I turned back to see that, indeed, the Fangpyre general was no longer holding his staff. The ninja in the jet had stolen it.  _ Wow, I’m impressed. _

The helicopter halted over the army of Fangpyre, their general now in a fit of rage. “Everyone, attack!” he ordered, determined to get his staff back. All of the snakes charged forward, growling in rage and looking like a real army now with the vehicles they’d gathered. All of the ninja hopped into a car and began driving off, quickly pulling away from us.

“Go!” Lloyd shouted. “They’re getting away!”

We pursued them across the desert persistently. I was on the edge of my seat---or platform, rather. I was secretly hoping the ninja would get away; maybe then Lloyd would see that being evil just wasn’t his calling?

The Fangpyre army chased them all the way back to their ship. We were closing in, when the ship rose out of the sand. It was  _ flying away _ .

As if the ship hadn’t been cool enough before! “Wow!” I exclaimed in amazement at the sight.

“No, no, no, no!” Lloyd shouted in frustration, clearly not as awed as I was.

The dust from their takeoff made me and Lloyd cough vigorously. As the ship flew away, something came tumbling out of it. Miraculously, it was the staff. It struck one of the Fangpyre snakes on the head before landing in the sand. The helicopter descended low enough so that the general could retrieve it, then rose back up into the air.

“Thessse ninja…”

“...they must be stopped.”

Lloyd groaned. “Tell me about it…”

I hid a smile. My friend may not have gotten what he wanted, but at least the ninja had succeeded in stopping the Serpentine once again.


	5. Episode 5: Never Trust A Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never trust a snake, ESPECIALLY the well-spoken ones.
> 
> Tried to tell him that multiple times, but he just wouldn't listen...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Chapter 5 already! Gotta tell you guys, I'm very excited for this one.
> 
> Also, special thanks to KDBloomfield for the nickname suggestion!  
> \----------

After losing to the ninja, Lloyd decided it was time to go ahead and exact his revenge on the Hypnobrai. The Fangpyre had enough weaponry to stand a chance against them now, and Lloyd didn’t want to delay any longer. So, the next day, the Fangpyre army set out into the snowy wilds, ready to wage war against the Hypnobrai.

Me, I was just waiting for the Fangpyre general to turn on Lloyd. Despite him being cooperative and somewhat of an ally towards us so far, I knew it was bound to happen at some point. It was the nature of snakes. I’d warned Lloyd about this numerous times already, but he didn’t listen, eager to get his revenge and lead his army of snakes.

All I could do for now was stay by my friend’s side. He’d need me eventually.

At the helm of one of the snake vehicles leading the charge, the Fangpyre general led his army and new weaponry into the snowy terrain. Lloyd stood by his side, smiling in glee, and I stood a little behind him, jittery with nerves. I was about to be caught in the middle of a war, after all, and I had no idea how to protect myself and Lloyd if things went wrong.

“Go, General!” Lloyd shouted encouragement over the loud whirring of the vehicles. He was so happy that he was going to get his revenge. I liked seeing him happy, but...did it have to be because of this?

Something appeared over the crest of the hill before us. Dozens of blue figures dotted the hilltop, and I could hear faint cheers and shouting from them. _Well, there they are…_

“The Hypnobrai,” Lloyd said when he saw them. “Now to teach them a lesson for betraying Lloyd Garmadon!” He then turned to the general. “Uh, do your thing, Fangpyre. I let you out of your hole for a reason.”

The general took the hint. “Attack!” he shouted. His snakes all roared and cheered in response, everyone ready for a fight. Except me, that is.

The Fangpyre marched towards the Hypnobrai. The opposing snakes did the same, slithering down the hill. I could spot Skales in the lead of them. The two sides of snakes grew closer and closer, and I thought a clash was inevitable, when something happened.

Once the two sides had gotten close enough to each other, the Fangpyre general made the car screech to a halt. I grew confused, watching him hop off the car and onto the snow, slithering towards Skales, who had also halted his army. The two generals stared at each other for a tense moment, then the Fangpyre general spread his arms out in glee.

“Skalesss!” he exclaimed happily. “My old chum!”

“I didn’t think I’d be fighting you!” his other head said as he slithered up to Skales.

Skales met him halfway, smiling and exchanging a fist-bump with him.

I facepalmed. _Of course these two are friends…_ So anticlimactic. At least there wouldn’t be any giant battle, which I was relieved about. Lloyd wouldn’t be happy, though…

“Hm, moved up in the world, have we?” the Fangpyre general pointed out.

“If it isn’t the Fangpyre!” Skales greeted. “Of all the cold-blooded to creep up on usss, I’m glad that it is a friend.”

I sighed. “Oh, boy…”

“Wait,” Lloyd said, confused. “I thought you were enemies. Not _friends_.”

The Fangpyre general turned around. “We _were_ at war,” he admitted.

His other head continued. “But ssseeing that Skales is now leading them, well, I don’t see why we can’t be comradesss.”

Lloyd was shaking his head in disbelief, not so confident anymore.

“Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid the Anacondrai, _then_ we would’ve had a tussle!” Skales said to us, chuckling to himself.

I shook my head at them. “Don’t give him ideas…”

“A tussle?” Lloyd echoed, growing frustrated. “A _tussle_?! But I’m Lloyd Garmadon! Bringer of evil!”

Skales and the Fangpyre general were no longer listening, now talking amongst themselves. Skales snickered to his friend. “What should we do with them?”

“I could turn them into one of usss,” the Fangpyre general suggested.

Skales hummed at the idea. “Hmmm, no. The little tyke is pretty useless, and the girl is too nice.”

The Fangpyre general laughed in response. “What if you hypnotize the boy and make him think he’s a pig?”

“That’d be pretty funny,” Skales replied, chuckling with his friend.

I grabbed Lloyd’s arm. “Time to go, Lloyd!” I whispered to him.

He nodded frantically, reverting back to a scared boy. “Y-You said it!”

He let me drag him off the car and onto the snow, scurrying away from the two snake generals. We both started sprinting in the other direction, through the Fangpyre weaponry. We only got so far before the snakes all began surrounding us. I spotted another snake car parked next to us and climbed onto its tail, pulling Lloyd up with me. We were now out of the range of the snakes, but were still trapped.

_Great, now what?_ I looked around, trying to find options.

I could’ve sworn that I heard the snake car growl. It’s tail moved a little, and before I could figure out what was happening, it thrusted its tail into the air, sending me and Lloyd flying far away, into the snowy barrens.

We crashed into the snow. Thankfully it was soft, so I didn’t really hurt anything. Lloyd had gotten his head stuck in the snow though, and I went over to pull him out as he mumbled to himself. He looked up at me as I set him on his feet again. “Thanks,” he told me.

I nodded, smiling. “No problem.” I looked all around us, relieved to not see any snakes nearby. “Well, that’s one way to escape an army of snakes.”

Lloyd kicked the snow with his foot. “It’s not fair!” he whined. “Why were they friends? Snakes are supposed to hate each other!” He crossed his arms, huffing. “Stupid snakes…”

I shook my head. “It’s just like I told you, Lloyd,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Snakes can’t be trusted.”

Once again, Lloyd didn’t really seem to hear my advice. “I was so close this time!” He then hummed in thought. “What’ll I do now? I need a new evil plan.”

I sighed, sad I wasn’t getting through to him but still determined to stay by his side. “Well, whatever’s next, I’ll stick with you,” I told Lloyd, smiling. “Lucky for you, I’m no snake.”

Lloyd chuckled. “Knew I could count on you, Rose.”

My nose scrunched up in confusion. “Uh...Rose?” I echoed.

“Yeah,” he replied, nodding. “You know, because your name is Aurora.”

“Huh?” What was he talking about? Sure, it was a nice nickname, but why call me that? Was he making a reference to something? “I’m not sure I get it…”

Lloyd gawked at me. “You’ve never seen that movie?”

“Uh...what movie?”

“Ah, nevermind,” he told me, waving it off. “I’ll show you one day.”

I shook my head, but ended up smiling at him anyway. “So, where are we headed now?” _Please no more Serpentine… Please no more Serpentine…_

Lloyd pulled out his map of the Serpentine tombs, and my heart sank. He studied it for a moment, then smirked. “I think I know just what to do…”

. . .

This one was gonna get us killed. For sure.

The two of us had gotten lucky with the Hypnobrai and Fangpyres. We’d managed to escape from them and avoid getting hurt. You’d think that by now Lloyd would start to believe me when I told him snakes can’t be trusted. But no. Instead, he wanted to open the tomb of the most dangerous Serpentine tribe to ever walk the land:

The Anacondrai.

We were so hooped.

Lloyd grumbled to himself as he led me into the desert once again, staring at his map. “‘Had you released the Constrictai, the Venomari, or heaven forbid the Anacondrai, then we would’ve had a tussle.’” He was mimicking what Skales had said earlier, clearly still carrying a grudge. He scoffed, then looked up from his map. I followed his gaze and saw a rock formation that looked like a giant fang resting on smaller rocks. I hadn’t noticed it before, so it startled me a little.

“We found it!” Lloyd exclaimed in glee, running towards it. “Come on, Aurora!”

I sighed, following at a less enthusiastic pace. “Joy…”

Lloyd dusted off the tomb’s door once he arrived. I eventually joined him, appreciating the shade we now had from the desert’s unrelenting sun.

“The Anacondrai…” Lloyd said in awe. “The most feared and powerful Serpentine of them all. And if they’re afraid of the Anacondrai, then the Anacondrai is what they’re gonna get!” Cue his evil laughter as I shook my head in the background.

_Looks like I’m gonna have to be extra careful for the both of us,_ I thought grimly. _These snakes may tear us to shreds if they have the mind to_. Lloyd obviously thought nothing could go wrong, so I’d have to watch his back as well as my own.

Lloyd pushed the doors open, revealing a dark chamber. The sunlight from outside flooded the room, and the first thing I saw was the dozens of bones that were scattered across the ground, really completing the creepy aura of the place. Lloyd walked right on in, switching on his flashlight, and I stuck close by, frantically looking in every direction for the tomb’s resident snakes.

Upon closer inspection, the bones littering the tomb floor were not people bones, but snake bones. Lloyd and I stared at them in confusion. “Wonder what happened to them,” I whispered to Lloyd as we searched around.

“I’m not sure,” Lloyd said, sounding a little disappointed.

I, however, felt a little hope. Had all the Anacondrai died out? Would we be safe from them after all? I certainly hoped so, even though Lloyd would be disappointed. _No snakes are all the snakes I need._

The two of us walked further into the chamber, still finding nothing so far. I was about to suggest to Lloyd that there was nothing of use here and we should go, in a hopeful attempt to put this behind us, when I sensed that we weren’t alone. The hairs on the back of my neck raised up instinctively, and I thought I heard quiet hissing somewhere behind us. I was about to turn around to check, and only moved my head halfway before coming face to face with a fanged, purple snake face with glowing magenta eyes.

I screamed like a girl. I _never_ screamed like a girl, despite being one.

Lloyd was startled by my screaming and started screaming too, which only grew louder when he saw what I saw. The two of us were so frightened that we leaped a good five feet away, landing on our backs in the sand. My heart raced, and I tried to calm myself down and gather my bearings. _What the heck was THAT?!_

Just as I sat up, the same face from before appeared around the rock Lloyd and I had subconsciously leapt behind. Lloyd and I gasped, and we both scooched away from him as he approached, scared for our lives. By far, he was the largest Serpentine we had ever seen. Not only did he have a long snake body like the other Serpentine generals had, but this one had a super long neck as well. He was mainly purple with a few black and yellow scales here and there, but his eyes… Let’s just say, if there was ever a snake that you shouldn’t trust, it was this one.

The giant Anacondrai finally spoke. “My sincerest apologies, young ones,” he said to us in a surprisingly elegant, accented voice. He picked up Lloyd’s flashlight, then stood up straight and stopped backing us into a corner. “Oh dear, due to my unfortunate appearance, I tend to have an unsettling effect on people.” He then held out the flashlight. “Oh, I believe you dropped this.” Lloyd stood up, still looking wary, and hesitantly took the flashlight from the snake. “Ah, there you are.”

I picked myself up too, slowly getting over my initial terror. _A well-spoken snake?_ I frowned. _That’s too suspicious._

“Uh, thank you,” Lloyd said to him uncertainly. He turned the flashlight back on, starting to walk and look around again. “Uh, what happened to the others?” He was referring to the other Anacondrai, and I was also curious as to the answer.

The giant snake followed us, slithering between us and putting an arm behind each of us in a friendly gesture. “Poor unfortunate souls,” he sighed. “All those years, locked away with nothing to eat. Must have slowly starved away until they were just scales and bones.” As if on cue, his stomach growled audibly. It was so loud that Lloyd shined his flashlight on it for a second.

The Anacondrai slithered in front of us. “And who may you two be, my little appetize--- Uh, I mean, friends?”

Was he about to say what I think he was?

Lloyd smiled widely, happily introducing us. “That’s Aurora,” he said, pointing to me. I didn’t smile back at the smiling snake. Smiling snakes meant trouble. “And I’m Lloyd Garmadon. Son of Lord Garmadon, and future dark ruler!”

The giant snake chuckled. “How deliciously evil! If I had feet, ooh, I’d be trembling in my boots!”

“Yeah, I’m sure you would be…” I muttered, not buying this at all. Snakes were deceptive, and this one was no different, no matter how polite he pretended to be.

“And, uh, who are you?” Lloyd asked him.

The snake bowed formally. “Humbly, I am Pythor P. Chumsworth.” He grinned down at us. “And since you’ve freed me, I am eternally in your service.”

I leered at him. “So you say…”

“Really?” Lloyd said, confused. “You’re not gonna trick us?”

Hey, Lloyd was learning after all! Maybe there was hope to turn him away from this. _Don’t fall into his trap, Lloyd!_

“Oh, why would I trick you?” Pythor asked innocently. “I hardly have any friends.”

“Whoa!” Lloyd exclaimed. “I hardly have any friends, too! Aurora here’s the only one.” He gestured to me, smiling. I smiled back at him, but it was half-hearted; somehow, this Pythor knew exactly how to appeal to Lloyd and get him to trust him. _This Serpentine is different from the rest…_

“You don’t say!” Pythor acted excited by the news.

“Hey, how would you like to be my loyal henchman?” Lloyd asked Pythor, making me inwardly facepalm. He turned his back to Pythor as he began monologuing. I kept an eye on him, watching as he discreetly moved his head around us, as if searching for something. “I’ve been betrayed by the Hypnobrai and the Fangpyres, and I’m looking to get a little revenge on some ninja, too.”

“I love revenge!” Pythor exclaimed as Lloyd turned back around. “Oh, you know, Floyd and Dora---”

“It’s Lloyd,” I corrected him, almost in a growl. “And Aurora.”

“Whatever,” the snake replied as he put his arms around us both and began leading us away. “I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful friendship!”

_More like the start of a beautiful betrayal,_ I thought, almost saying it aloud. Drawn in by the chance to make another friend when he had next to none, Lloyd had once again fallen victim to the deception of the Serpentine.

I just hoped we’d both be able to escape this time…

. . .  
  


Well, this was deja vu. As soon as he released more Serpentine from their tomb, the first thing Lloyd wanted to do was to terrorize the people in the villages of Ninjago by playing pranks and causing mayhem.

For the rest of that day, the three of us did whatever we wanted to. Somehow, Pythor, Lloyd, and I were all able to fit on a single bicycle, and we rode through a village on it---I suppose “rampage” would be a better word, then? Not much of a rampage, though. All Lloyd and Pythor did was knock over crates and barrels while the villagers watched on in confusion.

We then proceeded to commit a few more relatively harmless pranks and jokes. We stole signs that told people to not walk on the grass, then danced and rolled all over it. We took over an ice cream cart, then made the tallest ice cream cone ever made. We threw rocks at other kids’ toy boats and took candy from babies---well, Lloyd and Pythor did; I just stood by and watched, feeling guilty but also fuming at the bad influence Pythor was inflicting on my friend. Lloyd may have been having fun, but me, not so much. I tried to have fun, for his sake; I really did. But I was too focused on keeping an eye on Pythor, just waiting for the moment when he turned on us.

After collecting a wheelbarrow-full of stolen candy (again), the three of us headed back to the Anacondrai tomb. This was the part where I did manage to have a little fun, eating my weight in candy as Lloyd and Pythor did the same. I’d never eaten, let alone seen, so much candy in my life, so I allowed my sweet tooth to take control for the day.

It was late by the time we all had our fill. Lloyd had grown more silly in his sugar high, and he kept making me giggle over and over again. I’d laughed so much that my stomach hurt, and he was in much the same boat. If you ignored the giant snake looming over us, I would say that I’d quite enjoyed myself.

“Wow,” Lloyd said after he and I calmed down. We were laying down on the sandy floor, slowly running out of energy. “You’re the best henchman a mastermind could ever have.”

Pythor chuckled. “Lloyd, you’re the best mastermind a henchman could ever have.”

I rolled my eyes. _Kiss-up._ He wasn’t fooling me. No way. _We’re just supposed to believe you’re okay with being a henchman to a kid?_

A yawn forced its way from my mouth. I wiped the leftover candy residue from my lips. _Ugh...why am I so tired?_ It must’ve been the crash from all the sugar I’d eaten, I realized. _Now that I think about it, it’s hard to keep my eyes open…_

Lloyd turned to me, hearing my rather loud yawn. “You sound pretty tired,” he pointed out. “I am, too. Guess we wore ourselves out having fun, huh?”

I nodded, smiling softly. “Mm-hmm…” was my sleepy answer.

He chuckled. “Go ahead and sleep, if you want,” he told me. “I’ll wake ya up if we go out again.”

I hummed in confirmation. “Okay. Goodnight, Lloyd.”

“Night, Aurora!”

While my body rolled over, curling in on itself in a comfy position so I could sleep, my mind protested. _You can’t fall asleep yet!_ I scolded myself. _You shouldn’t leave Lloyd alone with Pythor!_ It was growing more and more difficult to keep myself awake, however.

My back was to Lloyd and Pythor. To them, I appeared asleep, but I didn’t _actually_ have to fall asleep yet. Keeping one eye open, I forced myself to stay awake and eavesdrop on their impending conversation. _If Pythor tries anything, I’m sure I’ll wake up in an instant._ At least, I hoped so.

Neither of them said anything for a long minute. Then, Pythor spoke to Lloyd again.

“Hmm,” he hummed, seemingly in thought. “Why is it that you only have one friend, Lloyd?”

I resisted the urge to snort. _Like he cares…_

Lloyd was quick to defend himself. “Well, I could’ve had more friends back at my Boarding School for Bad Boys, but I decided to run away and never let them see me again.” He then made his not-so-evil maniacal laugh, making it seem like it was some big crime.

This was somewhat new information to me. I knew that he’d come from that boarding school, but I never knew that he’d run away. _But why would he run away from a boarding school for bad boys? I thought he was all about being a bad boy._

A better question: who the heck funded a school for teaching kids to be villains?

“Really?” Pythor inquired. “Uh, why would you run away from making friends? Everybody needs friends, even tyrants.”

That was...a good question, actually.

Lloyd paused before answering. “Well, uh,” he began hesitantly, “maybe I didn’t run away. Maybe I, uh… I got kicked out.”

_What?_ Lloyd Garmadon, the son of Lord Garmadon, got kicked out of a school specifically for bad kids? _How in the world did that happen?_ My fatigue was forgotten for a moment, intrigued by what the answer was.

Apparently, Pythor was as surprised as I was. “From the Boarding School for Bad Boys? I don’t believe it! I hear they are _the_ breeding ground for the truly despicable. And if you ask me, ho-ho, you are a _handful_!”

I wasn’t entirely sure that was a compliment. Lloyd seemed to take it as one, though.

“Well, thank you, Pythor,” Lloyd said. I rolled my eyes. “But they told me I wasn’t bad enough. They said I lacked the amoral ambition to be one of tomorrow’s masterminds.”

That was when it all suddenly made sense to me. Lloyd Garmadon wanted to be evil, boldly claimed that he was this maniacal villain, but his bark was worse than his bite. The worst crime he’d ever committed was sicking tribes of Serpentine on innocent people, but that was about the extent of it. All of his other “evil deeds” were only pranks and mischief at best. The teachers at the boarding school must’ve seen this, too, and so then kicked him out.

Deep down, Lloyd Garmadon was a kind boy. If it came down to it, I believed that he would never hurt anyone intentionally. Prank them and make their life miserable, sure, but actually _hurt_ them? I didn’t think so. Son of the dark lord or not, I didn’t think Lloyd was truly evil.

I’d only known Lloyd for a few days, but...somehow, I felt like I knew him better than anyone else.

“Well, you’ll show them!” Pythor growled maliciously.

“That’s right, I _will_ show them!” Lloyd exclaimed. I heard him stand up.

“Then why don’t we?”

_Huh?_ What was Pythor up to? _Uh oh… I think I have a pretty good idea…_

“Uh...why don’t we what?” Lloyd inquired, sounding confused.

“Let’s get revenge on the very school that rejected you,” Pythor suggested. “And when the ninja come to the rescue, we’ll have a trap laid out for them.”

“A double revenge?” I heard Lloyd ask in an excited voice.

“A double revenge,” Pythor confirmed. I could practically hear his smirk in his voice, which worried me. The ninja and Lloyd’s old schoolmates wouldn’t be the only victims in his plot---I was almost certain. “Get some rest. Hijacking an ice cream truck is a lot for anyone, and if you’re going to rule the world, well, ho-ho-ho, you’ll need to get your sleep! Oh, and one more thing…”

Lloyd hummed. “Yes?”

“ _I’ll_ be your friend.”

That was the biggest lie to come out of Pythor’s mouth yet. Poor Lloyd couldn’t see it, instead wanting to make every friend he could get---even if it was a giant snake.

Lloyd sighed in contentment, yawning as his fatigue caught up with him. “Oh, Pythor,” he mumbled sleepily, “you’re the best...”

I frowned, resisting the urge to roll over as I heard Lloyd settle down near me so he could sleep. _Pythor’s not your friend, Lloyd_ , I wanted to tell him. _I’m your real friend here. He’s going to betray you in the end._

As if on cue, I heard Pythor let out a low, sinister chuckle as Lloyd dozed off to sleep. My eyes widened, and I resisted the urge to shudder. If that wasn’t a confirmation for my suspicions, I didn’t know what was.

As my drowsiness took hold of me again, dragging me off to sleep, I kept thoughts of determination running through my mind. _Don’t worry, Lloyd. I’ll keep a close eye on your new “friend.” And the moment he turns on you, I’ll be there to keep you safe._

. . .

So, just as Pythor proclaimed, the next day (or whenever we woke up; I had little conception of time anymore) we made for Darkly’s Boarding School for Bad Boys and commenced our attack. I actually had a little fun at first, pranking the boys, riding skateboards through the hallways, and causing mayhem, but then Pythor and Lloyd just sort of tied everybody up and left them there. I mean, sure, they were...well...bad boys, and the teachers were worse for teaching them to be bad (the substitute teachers there were walking, talking skeletons by the way?!). So I supposed they had it coming; I didn’t feel as bad for allowing it to happen.

Not that I could’ve stopped it if I tried. I mean, Pythor was still really annoying and all, but he was scary! Not to mention the largest snake I’d ever seen in my life. Fighting him would be a bad idea.

After leaving the boys and “teachers” tied up in their classrooms, Lloyd, Pythor, and I skateboarded down the hallways again. Pythor somehow managed to push himself along using only his long tail.

Lloyd was cackling in delight, having the time of his life. “Hey, how are the booby traps?” he asked Pythor.

“Every door, window, and hole into this place are spring-loaded!” the snake replied with enthusiasm.

“Good,” Lloyd said. “I’m sick and tired of those ninjas sneaking their way into my evil doings.”

I sighed softly. _I’m sure not. Those ninjas foiling Lloyd’s “evil doings” are exactly what’s been keeping him from really hurting anybody...including himself._

“Isn’t this fun, Rose?” Lloyd asked me as we skated along, breaking me from my thoughts.

I quickly nodded. “Uh, yeah!” I lied. “So, this was your school, right?” I asked curiously, trying to change the subject as well as kill time until the ninja arrived.

Lloyd nodded. “Sure was. I’m glad I ran away, though. This place is so lame.” Even though he was smiling when he said it, I could barely hear the sadness underlying his tone.

_But you didn’t run away. You were kicked out._ Of course, he didn’t know I knew that, and I didn’t want him to know I’d been eavesdropping on him. Unlike Pythor, I didn’t like to betray a friend’s trust. _This is where his mother abandoned him…_ What mother would do something like that? And why here, of all places? Why not a proper orphanage, where my parents left me?

_If Lloyd had been left at an orphanage, would things have been different?_ I wondered. It was interesting to think about. _Would he still be striving to be the super evil son of Lord Garmadon?_

Skating through the hallways (which was fun, despite the circumstances), the three of us made our way up to the roof of the school. Lloyd wanted to camp out up there so we could watch for the ninja. There was a cannon up there as well, which I had no idea where it came from but didn’t question it. I didn’t really look for them, but rather enjoyed the view, admiring how far we were above the clouds and the vast green landscape below. There were even wide blue rivers twisting through the countryside. It was times like these that made me remember just how beautiful Ninjago was.

Lloyd, however, wasn’t nearly as relaxed as I was. He kept pacing around, searching high and low for the ninja he despised. He kept making nervous noises as he paced, and after a while it was making me antsy, too.

“Relax,” Pythor told him in a “pleasant” tone. “We’ve made the perfect trap. We’re in broad daylight, so there isn’t any shadows. But even if they could get in---”

“What’s that?” Lloyd exclaimed, spotting something moving on the ground below us.

“What?” I yelped, surprised by his sudden shout.

Pythor immediately turned the cannon toward the moving thing, and fired it. A net went sailing through the air, crashing onto the ground far below. It pinned something to the ground, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it was only a lizard, not a ninja.

As Pythor glared at Lloyd, I tried to hold in a snicker of amusement.

Lloyd rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Oh good,” he told Pythor, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, good reflexes. I was just testing you.”

_Yeah, of course you were,_ I thought with a smile. “How did you even see that from way up here?” I asked him.

“I’m on high alert!” was his answer as he walked over to stand by me. “If I know these ninjas, they’re cleverly sneaking their way right past us at this very moment.”

No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, I heard faint screaming. Looking at Lloyd, I saw that he’d heard it, too. Together we all looked upward, just in time to see a giant anchor rapidly falling towards us. All four of the ninja were clinging to it, screaming their heads off.

I shouted in alarm, hardly believing my eyes. Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side just in time as the anchor full of ninjas crashed through the roof, descending into the school building in a path of destruction. The whole building shook and rattled as they fell through each floor, crashing violently through the wood and stone.

Calming myself down, I took care to not step off what remained of the roof. I looked next to me to see that Lloyd had pulled me to safety on one side of the gaping hole, while Pythor had slithered to the other side. I smiled at my friend. “Thanks, Lloyd,” I told him.

He gave me a smile, nodding as he let go of my arm. He then walked over to stare down into the hole, and I followed him. The four ninja were several floors below us, having left huge holes in every floor they’d crashed through. _Did they seriously just crash their way here on an anchor, rather than stealthily sneak in?_ It was definitely unorthodox, but it had worked, in a way. _Well, they’re here now. That’s all that matters._

I saw them cut the boys and skeletons loose. Then, they turned their attention upward, seeing me and Lloyd peering down at them through the hole. “They’re on the top floor,” I heard the black ninja exclaim. “Let’s get them!”

Lloyd gulped, his smirk vanishing.

With a cry of, “Ninja, go!” the four ninjas split up. The blue ninja ran out the door, the white and red ninjas spiraled up the stairs in tornadoes of Spinjitzu, and the black ninja began climbing the chain the anchor was attached to.

Pythor vanished back into the school to enact the traps that we’d set up for the ninja. Lloyd and I watched him from the top of the hole, having clear views of every floor thanks to the ninjas’ entrance. First, he trapped the white and red ninjas in a bucket of goop, laughing maniacally. Lloyd’s evil laughter soon followed. While Lloyd’s laugh was more adorable than scary, Pythor’s was definitely a little intimidating. I’d never give him the satisfaction of admitting that, though.

Lloyd’s laughter faded when he spotted the black ninja rapidly climbing the chain towards us. Grabbing my arm again, Lloyd dragged me away from the hole. The ninja never appeared, though. I heard him shout in surprise, then say, “They’ve got a Serpentine with them. Watch out for booby traps!”

After peering down the hole again, Lloyd suddenly panicked. He began running in a circle pointlessly, shouting, “They’re coming, Aurora! They’re coming! They’re coming!”

“Calm down, Lloyd!” I told him. He didn’t listen, continuing to run around and panic. I was caught between laughing and being just as nervous as he was. “Why are you running in circles?”

The trap door to the roof opened, and Pythor emerged from it, frowning. He shut the door with his tail, then picked up a long piece of heavy wood, throwing it onto the door to hold it down. Lloyd dragged me to hide behind Pythor as he backed away from the door. I didn’t feel protected at all, but it apparently reassured Lloyd at the moment, and I wanted to stick by his side anyway.

After a long, agonizing moment, the door popped open. The blue ninja flew out of it, having broken through with ease. He spun his golden nunchucks in the air; I saw them spark with blue lightning, and I had to awe at the cool weapon for a moment.

“Shocked to see me?” the ninja quipped as he made a cool pose.

And now my awe was replaced with a facepalm. _Really? That was the best quip he could come up with?_

“Do something!” Lloyd urged Pythor frantically.

That was when Pythor chuckled darkly, and I looked up just in time to see him snatch the Serpentine tomb map from Lloyd’s back pocket, moving away from us. My eyes widened. _It’s happening! I knew it!_

Lloyd grew confused, staring at Pythor. “Wha-? What are you doing?” he asked, his voice growing squeakier as his disbelief grew. “I thought you were my friend!”

“All you wanted was to make the Serpentine your slave!” Pythor replied, his friendly tone all but gone.

Anger suddenly surged within me in a wave. With a cry of, “I knew it!” I ran at Pythor, launching myself at him in an attempt to tackle him to the ground. “Give that back, you overgrown snake!”

Pythor growled as I clung to him. He faltered at first by my unexpected attack, but didn’t topple over like I’d wanted him to. Really, he was a huge snake; I should’ve known that my small weight would do nothing to topple him. “And you, unfortunately, were not quite as gullible as the boy!” Pythor growled at me. I clung to him as best I could, but he jerked his free arm violently, throwing me off of him. I went sailing through the air, tumbling back to the roof. 

Unfortunately, I was too close to the edge, and went sliding off of it. I yelped in alarm, just barely able to grab onto the side of the roof to stop myself from falling. I clung to the roof desperately, my legs dangling in the open air below me. “Aaah!” I shouted, suddenly fearing for my life.

“Aurora!” Lloyd yelled in alarm.

Pythor made a sinister smirk. “Sorry, my dear kiddos! I have other plans.” And with a malicious laugh, the snake vanished into thin air, camouflaging himself. Lloyd gasped, looking around for him, but he was gone.

The blue ninja looked around in confusion too, then turned his attention back to us, narrowing his eyes over at Lloyd. My friend’s eyes widened, and he looked around for an escape.

“Lloyd!” I cried out, my grip faltering for a moment. “Help!” Normally, I wasn’t afraid of heights---but when I was dangling over a hundred-foot drop, it was kind of hard not to be scared.

Lloyd turned back to me. Forgetting his fear for a moment, he scurried over to me, grabbing my arm. “Hang on!” he cried, tugging my arm and trying to pull me up. Unfortunately, he had about as much upper body strength as I did, so he didn’t pull me up very far.

The blue ninja approached Lloyd, twirling his nunchucks in the air. Lloyd looked back and saw the ninja, gasping in fear, growing afraid of him again. Spooked, he let go of my arm and ran over to a different corner of the roof, trying to put some distance between him and the ninja.

“Aaah!” I yelped again as I had to grip the roof even harder now. _Thanks a lot, Lloyd!_ I knew he was scared, but come on! He just left me hanging!

The blue ninja tore his gaze away from Lloyd for a moment to look at me when I shouted, as if suddenly remembering I was there. His eyes widened in shock as he saw how close I was to falling.

“Help!” I cried again, my grip weakening.

The blue ninja immediately put his nunchucks down, rushing over to me. Just as I was about to let go, he grabbed my hands with both of his own, pulling me to safety. “I’ve gotcha!” he stated.

I was so relieved that I ended up clinging to him as soon as I was safe, breathing heavily as my fear began to dissipate. “Thank you,” I squeaked out.

“No problem!” the blue ninja replied.

A loud engine roaring made me look up. The ninjas’ flying ship was descending on the other side of the roof, the one Lloyd was facing. His uncle and a girl the ninjas’ age were standing on the deck, but both quickly hopped onto the roof. The rest of the ninja soon appeared from inside the school, flipping onto the roof.

“Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon!” Lloyd’s uncle shouted, sounding very angry. “You come here right now!”

If I wasn’t still a little frightened from my near-death experience, I would’ve giggled. _Montgomery?_

The blue ninja let go of me, walking over to Lloyd and picking him up. “I got him,” he stated as he slung him over his shoulder.

“Whoa!” Lloyd protested, squirming in the ninja’s grip. “Hey! Let me go! Aurora, help me!”

This time, I had no trouble snickering a little. “Sorry, Lloyd! I don’t know how to fight a ninja!” I yelled over to him. This was for his own good---he’d realize that soon, hopefully.

One of the ninja--the white one, who was closest to me--turned to me curiously. “You’re Lloyd’s friend, right?” he asked me. He must’ve recognized me from our last encounter.

I nodded. “Yep!” I then smiled sheepishly. “Don’t be too hard on him, please. I tried to warn him against this…”

“But we gotta do _something_ to him!” the black ninja stated. “What should we do? Wash his mouth out with soap for a year?”

“Ground him indefinitely?” the red ninja suggested.

“Have him sit in a corner for a century?” the white ninja added.

I facepalmed. _Oh dear. Poor Lloyd…_

It was Lloyd’s uncle who made the ultimate decision. “I know _exactly_ what we must do.”

. . .

“...And that is why Jack the rabbit never trusts a snake. The end.”

Sensei Wu closed the storybook, setting it down beside him next to the glowing lamp. Lloyd and I smiled in content as we fought our drowsiness. It was now night, and my friend and I were both tucked in a big, warm bed (the first bed I’d seen in days), having intently listened to the bedtime story. I hadn’t been read a bedtime story in a while; it felt really nice. I never knew how much I missed it until now.

Lloyd made a noise of appreciation. “If my dad had read me that book, I would never have made that mistake. I’m sorry, uncle.”

I sat up, flabbergasted. “That’s what I was trying to tell you this whole time!” I exclaimed to Lloyd. “I kept telling you that you shouldn’t trust snakes, but you didn’t listen.”

Lloyd made a guilty face. “I know, Aurora. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you; you _did_ try to warn me. You were right all along...”

“Oh, you do not need to apologize,” Lloyd’s uncle told him. “I’m sure that if your father was still here, it would be the first book he’d read.” He ruffled Lloyd’s hair, which was now exposed since his hood was off. I realized that I’d never actually seen his hair until now; it was a light, sandy blond. “Goodnight, nephew. Goodnight, Aurora. Sweet dreams.” He smiled down at both of us.

I smirked. “Goodnight,” I replied, feeling warm inside. I then directed my voice toward the open door. “Goodnight, eavesdropping ninjas!”

Four colorful figures quickly ducked out of view.

Lloyd laughed. “See? What did I say? She’s amazing!”

His laughter was contagious, and I laughed along with him. Even Sensei Wu cracked a smile.

Lloyd then sighed, his eyes growing droopy. “Goodnight, uncle…” he muttered.

His uncle then left, turning the lamp off as he left. I snuggled deeper into the sheets, fully enjoying the feeling of having an actual bed to sleep in again. I sighed in content.

“I really am sorry, Rose,” Lloyd said after a moment. “If I had just listened to you, none of this would’ve happened.”

I giggled, facing him in the darkness. “It’s okay, Lloyd, really. I’ve already forgiven you.”

He made a surprised face. “Y-You have?”

I nodded. “Mm-hmm!”

“You’re the best!” Lloyd exclaimed, grinning widely. “And I’ve never said that about a girl, so you know I mean it!”

“Uh…” I smiled uncertainly. “Thanks?” I giggled again. It was progress, if nothing else.

Lloyd made another tired noise, closing his eyes. “Goodnight, Rose…”

I closed my eyes, finally succumbing to the void of sleep. “Goodnight...Montgomery.”

My friend let out a long groan of annoyance, and I giggled at his expense. I wasn’t letting that go for a while, and he knew it.

I had no idea what tomorrow would bring, or what my life would be like from here on out. All I knew was that I wanted to stay with the best friend I ever had, no matter what dangers came with him.


	6. Episode 6: Can of Worms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living with a bunch of ninja has got to be the coolest thing ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos you guys have been leaving! They keep me going! I'm so glad that you're all enjoying the story!  
> ___________

I woke up the next morning, forgetting where I was for a moment before remembering the previous day’s events. It had been the most restful sleep I’d had in days; it was good to be able to sleep without fear of having snakes attack you while you slept. For the first time since the orphanage, I felt safe.

Lloyd and I were treated to a very yummy breakfast cooked by Zane---that is, the white ninja. I now knew all of their names: Zane, Cole, Kai, and Jay. There was also Nya, Kai’s sister, and of course Sensei Wu, Lloyd’s uncle. I’d introduced myself as well, and had been relieved to figure out that they didn’t blame me at all for the Serpentine incidents (even though I felt guilty for them anyway).

After breakfast, Lloyd’s uncle pulled us aside and asked a favor of us. He explained that he wanted to teach the ninja a lesson about rumors, and so sent me and Lloyd off to do what we loved: play pranks.

The two of us worked together to beat Kai’s high score on Fist-to-Face II, then messed up Cole’s soup when he left the kitchen. Then, we busted the sparring robot, and finally, added pink dye to Zane’s wash of white suits. There was a lot of snickering and plotting involved; he and I were having a lot of fun. Although, I still felt guilty; I’d just met the ninja, after all. I wanted to make a good impression, because they all seemed nice.

After completing our plan, all that was left to do was whisper the wrong words in the wrong ears.

Lloyd and I walked through the Destiny’s Bounty’s hallways, Lloyd whistling innocently. We passed by a room and saw Kai starting up his video game, grinning in excitement.

“Hey, Kai!” Lloyd called, peering through the doorway with me. “Saw Cole beat your high score.”

“You should’ve seen it!” I exclaimed, faking amazement in my tone. “It was pretty spectacular.”

Kai made a face. “Uh, you must be talking about Sitar Legend. This is Fist-to-Face II. _No one_ beats me on my game.”

Lloyd and I shrugged. “Huh. Could be wrong,” Lloyd said. He waved as we walked away. “See ya.”

“Bye, Kai!” I yelled before leaving.

As Lloyd and I walked back down the hallway, we soon heard an exclamation of “Huh? _Cole_!”

Snickering in delight, Lloyd and I high-fived, off to find our next victim.

We came across Cole in the kitchen, stirring his soup. He lifted the spoon to taste it, then recoiled, making an alarmed noise as he held the soup in his mouth.

“By the way,” Lloyd said as we poked our heads in, drawing Cole’s attention, “we saw Jay spice things up.”

“We told him not to, but he said your cooking could use it,” I told him, shaking my head.

“Bye, Cole!” the two of us told him before leaving. 

After a moment, we heard Cole spit audibly and yell, “ _Jay_!”

Lloyd and I struggled to keep our laughter quiet, high-fiving once again.

We later found Jay outside on the deck, getting ready to spar with the sparring bot. The robot sparked and trembled as he turned it on. Lloyd and I exchanged a smirk from where we watched on the stairs.

“Hey, Jay!” I greeted him with a wave, drawing his attention.

“We saw Zane try to repair the sparring bot earlier,” Lloyd lied to him. “Isn’t that your expertise? Later, bro!”

The two of us walked back up the stairs as Jay shouted, “Wait, what?” I saw the robot spin out of control, heading straight for the blue ninja. “No, no! _Zane_!”

Another high-five was exchanged.

Finally, we later found Zane on the top deck. He had his basket of laundry with him, bringing it out to dry on the clothesline in the wind. He spotted us as we approached, smiling in greeting. “Hello, Lloyd. Hello, Aurora. What brings you two up here this fine morning?”

Zane was so nice. I felt bad for doing this to him, but Sensei Wu had asked us to…

“Kai wanted us to pick up his ninja suit,” Lloyd explained. “He said he threw it in with your whites.” Lloyd opened his basket, plucking the red ninja gi from the pile. “Here it is!”

“Thanks!” I told Zane before we walked away, trying to not burst out laughing at all the pink clothes we saw.

Unlike the others, we never heard Zane shout in rage as we walked off. But I could practically feel the anger radiating off of him.

Lloyd and I retreated to the ninjas’ bedroom, hiding behind the sliding paper wall with our pranking materials. We both burst out laughing, letting it all out since we were alone.

“That was great!” Lloyd exclaimed when he was able to stop laughing.

“I know!” I agreed. “Did you see the look on Cole’s face?”

“Sure did! Did you see how pink Zane’s clothes turned out?”

“He should be happy. Pink is such a manly color!”

We both laughed until our stomachs hurt. Despite causing misery for the ninjas, pranking them had been really fun. It made me feel...like I belonged.

That was when I had a horrible thought. _What if… What if Lloyd’s uncle sends me back to the orphanage? What if I have to go back, and I never see Lloyd again?_ I _had_ just left the orphanage without telling anyone, after all; the caretakers there would be looking for me. _I don’t think I want to go back._ Sensei Wu would be inquiring where I came from eventually. It was only a matter of time...

“I didn’t know you were such a prankster, Aurora,” Lloyd said to me, breaking me from my depressing thoughts for a moment.

I smirked at him. “Well, when it doesn’t involve stealing candy from villages, I’m always up for a good prank.”

I laughed as Lloyd hung his head. “Ugh, why’d you bring that up?” he groaned.

The door opened, and I heard the four ninja walk in. Lloyd and I quieted down to listen to their argument.

“You couldn’t just be happy with the top score?” I heard Kai exclaim to Cole. “You _had_ to rub it in my face?”

“You know how long it took me to make that?” Cole shouted at Jay. “Three days. _Three days_!”

“It’s an unsaid law, okay?” Jay yelled at Zane. “You don’t touch a man’s robot!”

“How am I supposed to strike fear in this? It’s _pink_!” Zane exclaimed, supposedly holding up his pink ninja gi. His words made me almost burst out laughing again.

The four of them began arguing indistinctly and loudly. Lloyd and I exchanged smirks, holding in our laughter. I then heard the door open, and heard Lloyd’s uncle walk in. He pushed open the screen that me and Lloyd were hiding behind, exposing us and our incriminating evidence. Lloyd smirked at the ninja, cackling in delight, while I just sheepishly giggled.

The ninjas stopped arguing at the sound of our laughter. When they saw everything, they gasped collectively. “You did this?!” they all simultaneously exclaimed, growing angry at us.

“Boys, I get first dibs on---” Cole growled, approaching us.

“No dibs,” Sensei Wu intervened. “I put them up to this for today’s lesson. I wanted to show you the destructive power of rumors, and that jumping to conclusions can only lead to trouble.” He frowned. “Did you ever think to find out if the accusations were true?”

Cole furrowed his eyebrows. “Uh, no offense, Sensei, but let me jump to this conclusion: today’s lesson is lame.”

_Wow._ He was really blunt.

“Yeah,” Jay agreed. “Why can’t you teach us to paralyze your enemy with one finger? Or find out if a man is lying by the twitch of his nose?”

“Because not all lessons are about fighting!” Sensei Wu exclaimed. “...And I misplaced my lesson book.”

I resisted the urge to snort. _I mean, I think this is a good improvised lesson. Then again, I’m not training to be a ninja...sadly…_

Kai walked over to Lloyd, frowning. He pulled something out of Lloyd’s back pocket. “You mean _this_ lesson book?” he asked, holding said item for all to see.

I gawked. “Lloyd!” I scolded him. When had he even done that? I was with him for most of the morning!

“It was the perfect plan,” Lloyd stated, “until _you_ had to show up and mess everything up!”

Cole cut him off by shutting the sliding door in our faces. “Hey!” I exclaimed. “I’m innocent!”

Suddenly, Nya’s voice spoke through the Bounty’s PA system. “ _If you’re done fooling around, I could use you guys on the bridge. We do still have a snake problem to attend to. Over and out._ ”

“It’s one thing to let the son of your nemesis live with you,” I heard Kai say, “but having my sister live here? I mean, come on, I thought this was a _ninja_ headquarters!”

“ _You do know I can hear you_ .” Nya’s voice spoke again. “ _Over and out._ ”

“Oooh!” I exclaimed from behind the screen, giggling. “Busted!”

The seven of us made our way up to the bridge. Nya was standing before a large screen, showing a map of Ninjago. I stared around the room in awe, marveling at all the cool technology. The front window had a large steering wheel sitting in front of it, really adding to the “pirate ship” feel.

Nya launched into her explanation as we all walked in. “Last we heard of Pythor, he stole the map of dens from Lloyd and Aurora and is now on his way to open the last two Serpentine tombs.”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me…” Lloyd grumbled, embarrassed. I put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Pythor’s our most dangerous threat,” Sensei Wu stated. “If he finds those tombs before we do, with his intellect and all four tribes unleashed, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”

“But those tombs could be anywhere,” Jay pointed out. “Without the map of dens, we might as well just throw darts at a map.”

“Good idea!” Nya exclaimed, holding a handful of darts up. “Why don’t we?” She threw two of the darts at the map, narrowly missing Kai’s head. They each stuck to two different spots on the map. “These are the two locations of the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre tombs.”

Kai grumbled as his sister walked past him. “Show-off…”

Nya threw another dart at the map. “And this is Pythor’s tomb.” She smiled at me as she turned around. “Thanks for those locations, by the way.”

I beamed at her. “Happy to help!”

Nodding at me, she went on. “After many hours of ruminating on why the tombs were placed in these three precise locations, I discovered a secret pattern.” Jay looked lovestruck for some reason. She pulled out a flashlight, switching it on and pointing it at the screen. The light had a pattern on it: a giant symbol resembling a snake. “If you notice, all three are in line with the Ninjago symbol for serpent.”

Jay walked forward. “So the last two tombs must be here, and here!” He pointed to each spot respectively. He then leaned toward Nya, sighing in admiration. “You are so smart.”

Nya smiled, her cheeks growing red. “Was there ever any doubt?”

Lloyd and I exchanged a disgusted look, sticking our tongues out in distaste. _Eww. They’re so lovey-dovey…_

“There’s little time,” Sensei Wu stated. “Kai and Jay, you head to the Venomari tomb. Cole and Zane, you take the Constrictai tomb.” He then pulled out a flute---the same one I’d seen him use on the Fangpyres a few days ago. “And take this. You might need it if you run into Pythor. Good luck, ninja.”

“What am I gonna do?” Nya asked, frowning.

“Yeah! What are we gonna do?” Lloyd agreed, turning to his uncle with a hopeful smile.

“Nya, I need you here to watch Aurora and make sure Lloyd doesn’t get into any more trouble,” his uncle told Nya.

I snickered. “No need for that. I can do that job on my own.”

“Hey!” Lloyd protested. I only giggled harder.

Nya frowned. “Yes, Sensei…”

Cole held up a fist, grinning in excitement. “Let’s go, boys! We’ve got some snakes to club!”

The four ninja cheered, running from the room. Clearly they were excited to go kick some snake butt. _Sounds like fun_ , I thought, smiling as I watched them leave. I watched Lloyd grin after them; apparently he thought so, too.

Sensei Wu hummed, gazing up at the map. “Where are you, Pythor?” he mumbled to himself. “What are you up to?”

. . .

A little while later, I went to go play more video games with Lloyd. We had a lot of fun fighting against each other, as well as fighting together against an army of skeletons. I was surprised to find that I was good at video games, despite only getting rare chances to play them in my life. Our orphanage had bought a video game console for us a few years ago, but I almost never got the chance to play it; some dumb boys were always hogging it. I’d only tried once to politely ask for a turn, but they’d responded by telling me that girls didn’t play video games.

If only they could see me now. I was living with ninjas, _and_ playing their video games!

After a half hour into our game, Lloyd’s uncle appeared in the doorway. “Aurora? May I speak with you?”

I paused the game, looking at the old sensei in confusion. “Uh...yeah, sure.” I stood up, following him out the door. I glanced back at Lloyd as I left. He looked as confused as I felt; his gaze asked, _What did you do?_ I responded with a shrug.

Sensei Wu took me into what appeared to be his own room. It had simple decorations, but also a lot of scrolls and some incense. A steaming teapot sat on a low table in the middle of the room, and there was this interesting-looking red and yellow chest in the back corner, with a scroll peeking out of it.

Sensei Wu sat down at the table. “Come, sit,” he said, gesturing to the empty cushion across from him.

I sat down, looking around nervously. “Um… Nice place you got here…”

The old man chuckled. “Thank you. There’s no reason to be nervous.” He poured himself a cup of hot tea. “I only wish to know where you come from.”

Ah. So that was it. “Okay,” I said, nodding. I didn’t blame him; he didn’t know much about me besides my name. None of the others did, really, except for Lloyd. _This is it,_ I realized with a pang of sadness. _This is where he sends me back to the orphanage…_

“Where are your parents?” he asked me. “They must be worried about you.”

I sighed, looking away. “I don’t...really _have_ parents,” I informed him. “I’m an orphan. I come from the orphanage in Jamonakai Village. I’ve lived there for as long as I can remember. I’ve… I guess you could say I’ve never had a real home.”

Sensei Wu seemed surprised at my revelation. He nodded at me in encouragement. “Go on.”

“I met Lloyd a few days ago, right before he opened the Hypnobrai tomb,” I informed him. “The ninja had left him dangling from a building, so I helped him get down. I decided to go with him, as I had nothing else to do, and he let me tag along. I definitely didn’t encourage him to open the tombs, believe me.” I chuckled. “We may have only known each other for a few days, but we’ve become good friends. He’s...definitely one of the best friends I’ve ever had, I think. I’ve never really been good at making friends, so I’m surprised it worked out this way---and so quickly, too.”

The old sensei nodded, sipping his tea. “Everything happens for a reason,” he told me wisely. “Lloyd has never really had any friends, either. I am glad he found a friend in you.” He cracked a smile. “I think that you will be a good influence on him.”

I smiled shyly. “Hehe, if you say so.”

He nodded. “I do.” He poured himself more tea. “So you haven’t been back to the orphanage since?”

I nodded reluctantly. “Yeah… I feel kind of bad for leaving without a word, but at the same time, I’m glad I left. Sure, it was a nice place to live, but...it didn’t really feel like a home.” Sighing, I looked up at him, gathering the courage to ask the question I was afraid to ask. “Are...you gonna send me back?”

Sensei Wu didn’t respond right away. He studied me, seemingly deep in thought about something. After the third sip of his tea, he finally spoke. “If you do not wish to return to the orphanage, then I will not force you. Besides, I am sure Lloyd would be upset if you left. Your friendship with him is something special, and I would not want to take that away from you both.” He smiled kindly. “You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you like.”

My mouth dropped open in shock. _He… He wants me to stay?_ Sure, Sensei Wu was a nice man, but I’d never really expected him to allow me to stay---as long as I wanted, no less. “Really?” The corners of my lips turned upward in joy. “I can stay?”

He nodded. “Of course. We’d be happy to have you.”

I beamed, standing up from the excitement. “Thank you!” I exclaimed to him. “Thank you so much!”

Sensei Wu chuckled at my enthusiasm. “You are very welcome, Aurora.”

After thanking him several more times, I ran off to tell Lloyd the good news.

. . .

Nya disappeared at some point, but I didn’t really question it. Soon after she returned, though, we rendezvoused with the ninjas. For some reason, they were all passed out in the swamp where the Venomari tomb was.

And Zane was still wearing pink, much to my amusement.

Soon it grew dark, and the stars began twinkling in the night sky. We were all gathered around the table eating dinner. The ninjas (after changing into their pajamas) were telling us all about their mission, ranting on and on about some mysterious warrior who had appeared.

Jay was very animated about it. “So then, just when we were gonna bite it, this _huge_ mechanical robot---”

“Samurai,” Zane corrected from next to me. “It was samurai.”

Lloyd furrowed his brows. “A sama-what?”

“Samurai,” his uncle explained. “Highest level of warrior class. They would protect nobility and serve with honor on the battlefield.”

“He was a hundred feet high, with weapons coming out every part of him!” Kai exclaimed. His eyes were a sickly green; apparently, he’d been sprayed with Venomari spit-venom, so he was hallucinating right now. He leaned over to Cole and whispered, “Look at Sensei’s beard. It’s moving like snakes…”

I snickered.

Nya facepalmed. “When is this Venomari spit supposed to wear off? It’s starting to get annoying.”

As if to further prove her words, Kai grabbed a dumpling and stuck it to his face for no reason whatsoever. The boys stared at him, dumbstruck, but I had to giggle; I was getting a kick out of this. I was also in a good mood from earlier.

“Okay,” Cole proclaimed, “don’t let this mysterious samurai cloud what’s really important: all the Serpentine are out, and if Pythor can unite them, the legend states some Great Devourer is gonna consume the land and---”

“Great Devourer?” Nya asked the question on all our minds.

Cole shrugged. “Whatever it is, it’s a can of worms I don’t wanna see open.”

Lloyd put his head in his hands, groaning. “It’s all my fault,” he stated. “If I hadn’t opened the first hatch, none of this would’ve happened…”

I put a comforting arm around him. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Lloyd,” I told him, smiling softly in reassurance. “There’s nothing you can do to change that now.”

“Aurora is correct,” Lloyd’s uncle said. “We cannot change the past, but we can affect the future. At least we have the Sacred Flute in our possession, so---”

“Yeah,” Jay drawled, tipping his cup nervously. “Ahem. About that…”

“Pythor sort of...stole it,” Zane uttered slowly, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

Sensei Wu’s eyes widened. “The last Sacred Flute? Gone?!” he exclaimed. He was quiet for a moment, then sighed tiredly. “You four are Ninjago’s last hope.”

As if on cue, the alarm suddenly started blaring overhead. I hadn’t even known the ninja had an alarm until now---it was really loud, I discovered.

“Cold-vision must have caught something!” Nya explained. “That means the Serpentine are near!”

“Oh, no!” Cole exclaimed. “Ninjago City?”

Leaping to our feet, we all immediately scurried up to the bridge. We all gathered around a floating holographic model of the city, with colorful paths running underneath it. I assumed they represented the Serpentine’s movements.

“How many are there?” Jay asked. 

“Looks like all of them,” Kai pointed out grimly.

“Pythor must be trying to unite them,” Zane stated.

“Go,” Sensei Wu urged. “We mustn’t let the five tribes unite!”

The four ninja once again scurried out of the bridge. I heard them collectively shout “Ninja, go!” as they performed Spinjitzu and made a quick change into their ninja suits. I had no idea how they did it, but it was pretty amazing nonetheless.

Lloyd’s head drooped after they left, and I saw him frown. I walked over and nudged him. “Why so glum, buddy?” I asked him.

He sighed. “I should’ve listened to you…”

I smiled sadly. I’d figured he was still thinking about that. _Hmm… What to do?_ I then had a nice idea. If Lloyd wanted to make up for past crimes, there was a way he could while we waited for the ninja to return. “Hey, let’s take your mind off it,” I announced. “Wanna try and get the pink out of Zane’s clothes?”

Lloyd looked up, making a small smile. “Yeah. Sure.”

The two of us hauled all of Zane’s pink clothes to the washing machines. At first, we tried just normally washing them on high power. That barely worked. Then, we tried using a lot of soap and stain remover, which worked a little better, but was still relatively ineffective.

While the machines took their time to wash the clothes, I helped to further lift Lloyd’s spirits by planning one last prank with him. He wanted to do a classic “can of fake snakes” gag on Cole, since he made a whole comment about not wanting to open a can of worms earlier. We made the brilliant plan of trying to first give him the can--which we knew he would refuse--and also put the rubber snakes in the fridge so he would never expect it.

After eighteen washes, Lloyd was groaning in frustration. “I feel like we’ve tried everything!” he grumbled as he held up the now light pink suit.

Humming in thought, I walked over to the cabinet and rummaged through it. In the back, I found something, and I made an “Aha!” noise as I pulled it out. I showed it to Lloyd, grinning. “We haven’t tried bleach!” I exclaimed.

Lloyd lit up instantly. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of it before?”

After two more high-powered washes, this time using bleach AND stain remover, Zane’s clothing was finally back to it’s normal snowy white. Lloyd and I cheered, high-fiving in celebration.

“Not so mopey anymore,” I pointed out to him, grinning.

He chuckled. “Yeah. Thanks, Aurora.”

The two of us made our way back to the dining room, Zane’s restored clothing in tow. Everyone else was there already, finishing their dinner from earlier. They were all laughing about something as we walked in.

“Well, it took us twenty loads, but your suit’s no longer pink,” Lloyd announced proudly. He then turned to Cole. “And to show that we’re sorry, Cole, we got you a can of nuts.” He pulled it out of his pocket.

“Hope you like them!” I said, trying not to grin too big.

Cole walked over, rolling his eyes. “Uh, ha ha, yeah. Don’t think I don’t see what this is. When I open this, a bunch of snakes are gonna pop out, right? Yeah, no, thank you.” He shook his head, then walked over to the fridge. As soon as he opened the door, an army of green and red rubber snakes attacked him, making him fall onto the floor as he was covered by them.

Everyone burst out laughing, pointing fingers at him and clutching their stomachs. Cole even started laughing with us, after a few moments. I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. Lloyd and I exchanged a fist-bump on a job well done.

That warm feeling from before rose up inside of me again. Was this what it was like? Was this what it felt like to be part of a family? It had almost never been like this at the orphanage. I’d had little to no friends in my life, and now suddenly I was surrounded by them. Sure, most of them were older than me, but they were still good company.

For the first time in a while, I felt like I belonged. I felt like I had a home.


	7. Episode 7: The Snake King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As usual, it's all Kai's fault. If he had left us at a decent arcade, none of this would've happened...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think I'd get to post this chapter today, but lucky for you guys I did! Who else is struggling to stop procrastinating on their homework and classes? I am!  
> \-----------

The next few days passed relatively uneventfully. Until the scanners detected any snake activity, there wasn’t much for the ninja or the rest of us to do. The ninja spent their time training, playing video games, or just messing around doing their hobbies. Nya did pretty much the same. Sensei Wu spent time either meditating in his room or instructing the ninja.

Lloyd and I mainly just played video games, played a few harmless pranks, and hung around the ninjas. After all, we weren’t allowed to leave the Bounty without supervision, so there was only so much we could do. I liked to spend a little time with each ninja whenever I could, just getting to know them and helping them out. I also found myself helping Nya out a lot, being compelled to spend time with the only other girl when Lloyd was busy. I was just so thankful that I was able to live with them all, that I now not only had a best friend, but many other friends as well. The ninja were sort of becoming the boisterous older brothers that I never had, and it felt nice.

Maybe one day, if things worked out, I could call them all family.

At one point, Lloyd and I were bored and decided to explore the Destiny’s Bounty. Most everyone was out right now, so we had clearance to snoop around in other people’s rooms. We weren’t setting up any pranks; it was just fun to explore rooms we hadn’t seen before.

The ninjas’ room didn’t have much in the way of interesting things or decor, although Lloyd and I did discover that Cole kept a diary. Nya’s room was just a typical girl’s room. However, I did find a circular blade shaped like an S beneath her bed for some reason, but decided not to question it.

Lastly, we arrived at Sensei Wu’s room, and that was where I hesitated.

“Are you sure we should do this, Lloyd?” I asked him, noting that the door was closed for a reason. “I don’t want to make your uncle angry.”

“Aw, come on, Aurora,” he said, smiling. “He’ll never know we were in here. Besides, I wanna see if he has any of my dad’s stuff in his room.”

Together, the two of us snuck into the sensei’s room. It looked the same as it had before, when I’d talked to Lloyd’s uncle about staying here. As Lloyd immediately went to a box off to the side to rummage through it, I looked around the room curiously, still wary of doing this at all. Sensei Wu had given me permission to stay here, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that by being in his room without asking.

Then, my eyes spotted the intricately designed red and yellow chest from before. It was sitting in the corner near the mirror, and had a mysterious vibe to it. I remembered being intrigued by it the last time I was in here.  _ Well, as long as I’m here... _

I walked over to it, spotting the scroll poking out of the barred chest doors again. I pulled it out, being careful not to damage it in any way; it seemed really old. I unrolled it, exposing its contents.

It was really interesting what I found. There was a painted picture, and painted words on the sides. The picture depicted six figures, and upon closer inspection, they resembled ninjas striking the same pose. There was a white one, a red one, a black one, and a blue one, each of them on a different corner. They kind of reminded me of Zane, Kai, Cole, and Jay. Then, in the center of them, there were two different ninja figures, larger than the others. One was green, and the other was yellow.

_ What is this? _ I wondered.

Lloyd saw what I was doing and wandered over. “Whatcha got there, Aurora?” he inquired, leaning in to peer at the scroll. “Whoa! That’s so cool!”

“I know,” I replied, smiling.

“What does it say?” Lloyd asked, peering at the words painted on the sides.

I hummed in thought as I read it aloud. “It says… ‘Two ninjas will rise above the others, and become the Green Ninja and the Yellow Ninja. The powerful Green Ninja, with the help of the fabled Yellow Ninja, will one day rise and defeat the dark lord.’ I think it’s some sort of prophecy.”

“Woah,” Lloyd breathed. He made a confused face. “What’s a Green Ninja?”

I shrugged. “You think  _ I _ know? What’s a Yellow Ninja?”

“I don’t know that, either,” he admitted. Shrugging, he moved away, heading for the door. “I couldn’t find anything of my dad’s. Wanna go beat Kai’s high score again?”

Rolling the scroll back up, I placed it back where it was before, then scurried after Lloyd. “Heck yeah I do!”

. . .

The next day, everyone sans Sensei Wu was having tea in the dining room, just chatting amongst ourselves and having a good time. Unsurprisingly, we ended up talking about the Serpentine. The ninjas were talking about fighting them, but Lloyd soon joined in, vividly describing what he would do if he went up against a Serpentine himself.

“First, I’ll stomp on his tail,” he exclaimed. “Then when he turns, a thunder clap to his ears! Then when he’s stunned, I’ll disarm him!”

Sensei Wu walked in as his nephew talked, holding a package as he went to the head of the table.

“Too late,” Cole intervened. “He’s already hypnotized you and now you’re under his control.”

“Or, he’s already put you in a squeeze,” Zane added.

“Or spit on you with his hallucinatory venom,” Kai said, waving his hands for emphasis. “Trust me, bad stuff.”

I joined in. “Or he’s bitten you, and now  _ you’re _ the snake!” I hissed at Lloyd dramatically for emphasis.

Lloyd playfully nudged me away from his face. “Uncle,” he asked, turning to him, “what’s the best way to stun a Serpentine, if you don’t know what kind they are?”

His uncle sighed as he sat down. “Sadly, it was the Sacred Flute you four carelessly lost,” he told the ninja.

“Hey, no no no, we didn’t lose it!” Jay defended. “Pythor stole it!”

“Whatever the case, without it I fear we have nothing to combat their powers,” Sensei Wu said grimly. “We may have prevented them from uniting in the past, but they  _ will _ try again, and one day they will be stronger.”

Cole smiled. “Don’t worry, Sensei! I’ve almost reached my full potential, and when I become the Green or Yellow Ninja, we’re not gonna need any magic flute.”

I perked up at his words.  _ Talking about the Green Ninja and Yellow Ninja again, just like in the prophecy. _ Apparently, there was a big competition going on between all four ninjas to see who would become either the Green Ninja or the Yellow Ninja, and each of them was  _ very _ sure they would be one of them.

“ _ You’re _ gonna be the Green or Yellow Ninja?” Kai echoed in disbelief. “Ha ha! Don’t make me laugh.”

“I thought it was decided that  _ I _ was destined to become the Green or Yellow Ninja,” Zane stated.

Jay chuckled, putting a hand on Zane’s shoulder. “The only thing decided about you, Zane, is that you’re weird.”

_ Well, that was mean, _ I thought, frowning.

The four ninja all stood up, beginning to argue over each other again, each of them arguing why they were the so-called Green Ninja or Yellow Ninja. Lloyd and I exchanged a look, shaking our heads. We both stood up, walking over to Lloyd’s uncle.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Lloyd said, waving them off. “What’s in the box?”

Sensei Wu stood up, smiling. “Your new uniforms,” he announced as he pulled the lid off the box.

Immediately, the four ninjas stopped arguing and gasped in delight. They then started cheering as they each pulled out their respective uniforms, holding them out in awe. I was smiling, too, as they were pretty cool-looking. I was kind of jealous, to be honest.

“Whoa!” Jay exclaimed. “They’ve got, like, armor!”

“I love the gold highlights!” Kai yelled in joy.

“Battle claws!” Cole shouted.

“The material is really light and breathable,” Zane calmly observed.

Lloyd peered into the empty box, frowning. “Nothing for me or Aurora?” he asked, disappointed.

Sensei Wu looked put-upon, embarrassed at having no gifts for his nephew. “Uh… You get, uh...the box?”

I snickered at him as Lloyd sighed.

Suddenly, the alarm started blaring overhead, red warning lights flashing brightly. We all scurried from the room once again, heading up to the bridge to see what was the matter. Cole hit a button on the computer, which pulled up a map with a bunch of red spots on it.

“Sorry to break up the moment, boys, but a small faction of our slithering friends are stirring up trouble over at Mega Monster Amusement Park,” he announced.

“Amusement park?!” Lloyd and I exclaimed at the same time, throwing up our hands in excitement.

Lloyd turned to the ninja with a hopeful smile. “Can we go? Can we go with you, please?”

“Please?” I echoed him. “We promise to be good!”

“Let me make things up!” Lloyd pleaded. “I can help!”

Sensei Wu frowned. “I’m sorry, nephew. You and Aurora will stay here, where it’s safe.”

Lloyd and I both deflated, our excitement replaced with disappointment. “Aw…” I groaned, drooping.  _ I’ve never been to an amusement park before… _

“Ninja get all the fun,” Lloyd grumbled.

“What do you say, guys?” Jay said. “Time to try out the new merchandise?”

They all made excited noises of agreement, quickly rushing from the room the change into their new gear. Lloyd and I were left disappointed as they got to go down to the amusement park. Yes, I knew that there were Serpentine there and it was dangerous, but still! Lloyd and I had been confined to the ship for a while now. Didn’t we deserve some fun?

Turns out, the mysterious Samurai from before had already beaten the ninja to it, tying up the snakes and restoring peace long before they arrived at the amusement park. They were all so bummed when they finally got back, but I heard their new plan. Apparently, they all made a bet: whoever was clever enough to catch the mysterious Samurai was the best of the bunch, and therefore was destined to become the Green Ninja or the Yellow Ninja.

And so began an intense competition between the four ninja. Each of them would try and catch the Samurai whenever he showed up when stopping the Serpentine. Some of them had more ridiculous plans than others, but none of them had any success in catching the Samurai. If you asked me, they were too focused on bagging the Samurai than stopping the Serpentine. They were all so determined to catch their rival and prove that they were one of the two ninja of legend.

With all the ninjas running around so much (and Nya mysteriously disappearing for some reason), that meant that me and Lloyd kept getting left behind. Eventually, each of the ninja begrudgingly took turns babysitting the two of us while everyone else was busy. I felt that this was unnecessary, but I was only a kid, so nobody thought I could take care of myself. It was the same with Lloyd, and he was growing tired of it. He, like me, wanted to be doing something to help.

A couple days later, it was Kai’s turn to watch us. However, instead of spending time with us, he drove us to an arcade in Ninjago City on his fiery motorcycle and dropped us off.

“Okay,” Kai said as Lloyd and I hopped off his motorcycle. “I know it’s my turn to look after you two, but just play a few games and stay put while I look around. I have a feeling the Samurai may show up.” He handed Lloyd a stack of coins for the arcade machines.

I rolled my eyes. “He’s not gonna let you catch him, you know…” I muttered to Kai.

“Ooh, let us help!” Lloyd pleaded excitedly.

“No,” was the immediate answer.

“Come on,” Lloyd insisted. “At least drop us off at a decent arcade.”

Kai grabbed the motorcycle handles again. “Sorry, shorties,” he said before revving his engine, then speeding off down the street. He stirred up dust as he left, making me and my friend cough.

“Kai, wait!” Lloyd cried out after him, to no avail.

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Who’s he calling a shorty?” I grumbled, turning to Lloyd. “I think I’m a little taller than you.”

Lloyd made a shocked face. “Are not.”

“Are too.”

“We’re the same height!”

“I’m an inch taller, I’m sure of it.”

Lloyd and I elbowed each other as we bickered playfully. After it was clear that Kai wouldn’t be coming back for a while, the two of us walked up to the arcade door, ready to kill time until he got back. Before Lloyd could push open the door, however, a familiar voice spoke up from nearby.

“I hear he found it,” the voice said, drawing our attention. “And everyone isss gathering again.”

After exchanging a look, Lloyd and I investigated. Peering down the alleyway, my eyes widened at what we saw. Five Serpentine were gathered at the other end of the alley: a Fangpyre, a Venomari, a Constrictai, and two Hypnobrai---one of which happened to be Skales himself.

I looked up at Lloyd in shock, who was peering over my head. “Skales?” I whispered.

He nodded, looking as surprised as I was. We turned our attention back to the conversation.

“Impossssible,” the Fangpyre hissed. “The Lost City does not exissst.”

“Well, it isn’t lossst anymore,” Skales told him, chuckling. “And I hear there’s gonna be a fight.” He slithered out of view, and I heard the low rumble of an engine nearby.

“A fight? Count me in.” The rest of the Serpentine followed him.

Lloyd nudged me. I looked up, and he gestured for us to follow them. Nodding, I tiptoed beside him as we snuck down the alleyway to see what the snakes were doing. Peering around another corner, I was surprised to find a line of Serpentine waiting to board a travel bus. It was green and snake-like, looking like it’d been transformed by some Fangpyre’s bite.

“All aboard,” Skales urged as the Serpentine began to step into the bus. “Next stop, Ouroboros.”

Lloyd and I ducked back behind the wall, walking back down the alley. “What do we do, Aurora?” Lloyd asked me in a quiet voice.

“We have to tell the ninja,” I told him as we arrived back on the main street. “I don’t know how, but we have to tell them about this.”

Lloyd frowned. “I wish there was more we could do…” He looked around, then gasped when he spotted something. Turning, I followed his gaze to a nearby store window. On display in said window was two snake hats, two pairs of maracas, and even glasses and fangs to complete the snake look.

_ Huh… I wonder… _

Lloyd turned back to me with a smirk. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

I mimicked his smirk, because I did know exactly what he was planning. “Oh yeah. Infiltrate the Serpentine?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s do it!” he exclaimed, dragging me inside the store.

Yes, I knew it probably wasn’t the best--or safest--idea. There were a lot of ways it could go wrong. But, if everything went right, Lloyd and I would find the Serpentine’s new base of operations and save the day. He and I had both been itching to help out and do some good, and now we finally had a chance to do that.

The money that Kai had given us was just enough to pay for the disguises. Lloyd and I quickly put them on then ran out of the store, hurrying to join the Serpentine before they left. The maracas rattled in our hands, making us sound a little snake-like. We approached the bus just in time, as the last of the Serpentine was disappearing through the door.

My nerves fluttered as I entered the bus behind Lloyd, suddenly a little less brave than I was a minute ago.  _ Come on, Aurora, _ I encouraged myself.  _ You can do this! _

Lloyd and I hopped into the bus, smiling innocently.

Skales, who was somehow driving, immediately turned to us, pointing. “Hey, you two! Hold it there.”

Lloyd and I hesitated, stepping back outside. Did he know it was us? How had he recognized us so quickly?

“Last one in closes the door,” Skales informed us.

I let out a sigh of relief.  _ Oh thank goodness… _

“Uh, sure thing!” Lloyd nervously replied. After ushering me on, he closed the door behind us. The bus started moving as we shuffled down the aisle, finding an empty seat. I sat by the window, and he slid in after me.

As Skales drove the snake bus onto the main street and out of the city, Lloyd and I both exchanged nervous looks. There was no turning back now.

. . .

As we headed further away from the city and out into the wilderness, the sun set and the moon rose into the sky, nighttime falling upon the land. It was late by the time the bus approached a set of towering structures, looking ancient and worn by sand. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was some sort of...city?

A towering snake statue loomed over us as we drove into the city. Lloyd and I were slightly startled by it, gulping as we realized we were now literally in the den of all snakes. Apparently, we both had the same thought, because we both reached for each other’s hand to seek comfort.

We were in this together.

The bus drove into the middle of the city, where there was some sort of arena. I saw the dark figures of dozens of Serpentine in the stone bleachers, jumping in excitement and cheering for a fight. Before we knew it, Lloyd and I had left the bus and found our way into the stands, now surrounded by several cheering snakes. I had no idea what would be happening, but I knew it wasn’t good. The Serpentine were trying to unite again, just as Lloyd’s uncle had said.

I looked around the arena, trying to study it in the dark nighttime. There was this huge statue of a snake sitting at one corner, where all the stone bleachers were facing toward. A glowing green liquid--probably venom--was dripping out of one side of it. It was a scary-looking statue, that was for sure.

At the base of the statue, I spotted two familiar figures. One was Skales, and the other--much to my displeasure--was Pythor himself. I mainly knew it was him because he was the only Anacondrai around. I growled a little at the sight of him, remembering what he did to Lloyd.

_ Maybe I’ll get to punch him for that one day, _ I thought.

Soon enough, he addressed all the gathered Serpentine, his voice ringing throughout the arena. “I bring you together to the Lost City of Ouroboros, before the statue of our very own Great Devourer, to speak of unity.”

I looked back up to the huge statue, gulping.  _ Wait, THAT’S the Great Devourer?! _ It was huge! And they wanted to  _ awaken _ it? Was Pythor crazy?

Yes, yes he was.

“Where are the fights?” one of the assembled Serpentine shouted.

“Where is the big show?” another asked.

Then, the gathered Serpentine began to chant, “Slither Pit! Slither Pit! Slither Pit!”

It appeared that the only reason all the snakes had agreed to gather was because they’d been promised a fight. Pythor growled in frustration, leaping into the arena. “You want a show?” he asked them scornfully, slithering towards the other Serpentine generals. “You want to see a fight?! I ask for your allegiance, but you will not give it. So...I will  _ take _ it!”

“What are you saying?” the Fangpyre general asked him.

“I challenge the four tribe generals for their staffs  _ and _ their allegiance,” Pythor proclaimed. “At once!”

The gathered Serpentine seemed to love that idea and began cheering loudly, encouraging the fight. Lloyd and I exchanged looks of anticipation. What was Pythor planning?

The four generals slithered toward Pythor. “I fought hard for this ssstaff, and will not give it up easssily!” the Venomari general hissed.

“There’s no way he can defeat the four of us at once,” the Constrictai general stated.

He was the first to attack, and the rest of the tribe generals followed. They swung their staffs and their fists at Pythor, who whacked at them with his ridiculously long tail. He was doing surprisingly well at first, but then got pinned down by three of the four generals. I then thought that, surely, he stood no chance.

But then the fourth general, Skales, discreetly pulled something out and handed it down to Pythor. I couldn’t really make out what it was, but I didn’t have to, as its pleasant melody started ringing out through the arena as Pythor played it.

_ It’s the Sacred Flute! _ I realized with a start.

Lloyd gasped. “He’s using the Sacred Flute against his own,” he whispered to me in surprise.

“He’s a big fat cheater, is what you mean,” I whispered back, disdain for Pythor in my tone. I mean, come on, he couldn’t even _ try  _ to earn the other tribes’ respect?

_ Of course he can’t. He’s a snake. _

The four other tribe generals cried out in pain, backing away from Pythor and covering their ears. 

“My ears!”

“It hurtsss!”

Skales was the only one who was strangely quiet. A moment later, he tossed his staff to Pythor, surrendering. Pythor stopped playing the flute and rushed forward, whacking the other three generals away and stealing their staffs from them. 

He’d won the challenge. The assembled Serpentine were still cheering, clearly enjoying the show. I watched on in fear.

Pythor gathered up all the staffs in his free arm. “Bow to your master,” I heard him growl at the other generals. As the generals obediently bowed to him, he tossed them back their respective staffs, then looked upward at the gathered snakes. “BOW TO YOUR MASTER, SERPENTINE!” he shouted, his tone sounding mad with the power he now possessed.

All the snakes around us bowed obediently in a giant wave. Lloyd and I realized that we had to bow, too, to keep our cover. In the nick of time, I remembered to keep a hand on my snake hat as I bowed, as it was too big for my head and kept slipping.

Lloyd, unfortunately, didn’t do the same. As he lowered his head, his hat began to slide off, and he threw his hands up in a panic to push it back into place. When he did, he accidentally let go of his maracas, and they went tumbling down into the arena before he or I could grab them.

As the pair of maracas crashed to the ground, it suddenly got deathly quiet as their shaking sound rang through the air. Pythor’s head whipped up at the noise, looking to the maracas, then up in our direction. I took a few tiny, discreet steps back, hoping that we hadn’t just blown it.

Lloyd gasped in fear, trying to back away, too. Before he could, a Hypnobrai roughly grabbed him, growling, “Where do you think you’re going?” The movement unfortunately made all of his snake disguise fall off, exposing his true identity.

_ No! _ My eyes widened, and I softly gasped.  _ Lloyd! _

“Lloyd?!” I heard Pythor growl from down in the arena.

Lloyd stared back at him with wide eyes, his terror written all over his face. He’d been busted.

By some miracle, none of the snakes around us had found me suspicious at all, and left me alone. When Lloyd was found out, a few snakes grabbed him and brought him down to where Pythor was. I wanted so, so badly to fight them off and take my best friend back from them, but I forced myself to stay where I was. After all, what in the world could I do against an army of Serpentine? I couldn’t help him if I was caught, too.

It didn’t make watching them drag Lloyd away any easier, though.

As the snakes dispersed around the city, I followed the crowd, trying to blend in for as long as possible. Lloyd was locked in a hanging cage at the base of the Great Devourer statue, and I knew I needed to rescue him. Sure, the smarter choice would be to flee the city and go find the ninja and seek their help, but I couldn’t just leave Lloyd here alone. He was my friend, and I did  _ not _ abandon friends. Ever.

So, I began to form a plan.

. . .

I waited until all the excitement had died down, and Pythor had left the arena. It was early dawn by the time I enacted my plan---enough light for me to see, but still enough shadows for me to hide in. I abandoned my maracas, as they made a lot of noise. Peering around a corner, I saw a few snakes conversing in the arena, and knew I had to get rid of them. Approaching them, I tried to act snake-like.

“Uh, hey there,” I greeted them, smiling and trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

The three snakes were all Hypnobrai, and they turned to me with glares. “What do you want?” one asked me.

I cleared my throat. “I just thought you might wanna know, I overheard a few Constrictai near the entrance saying that the Hypnobrai were weaklingsss.” I tried to hiss my words as well as I could.

“What?!” one of them exclaimed, clearly offended.

“Let’s go teach them a lesssson!”

The three of them ran off, in search of the made-up snakes that had belittled them.

I snickered as they ran off, leaving me alone with Lloyd. “Heh. That was easier than I thought it’d be.” I scurried over to Lloyd’s cage, relieved to find that he was okay. “Psst! Lloyd!”

He had pulled his hood back over his head, and had been facing away from me. His head whipped around at the sound of my voice, and a smile appeared on his face when he spotted me. “Aurora!” he exclaimed as I approached.

“Ssh!” I hushed him. I grabbed the bars of the door, undoing the latch and wrenching it open. “There may be more Serpentine nearby.”

Lloyd immediately lept out of his cage and hugged me, almost making me stumble from the force of it. “I thought you’d left me!” he exclaimed, quieter this time.

“Are you kidding?” I replied, happily hugging him back. “I’d never leave you, Lloyd! You’re my friend!”

He chuckled in joy, smiling at me. “You’re the best, Rose,” he stated.

I smiled widely, nearly blushing from his praise. “There’ll be time for this later,” I told him, reluctantly prying him off me. “We’ve gotta get out of here now, before someone notices you’re gone.”

Lloyd nodded. “Right.”

Together, the two of us sprinted for the arena’s exit, heading to the city’s entrance. I abandoned the rest of my snake disguise; it was slowing me down, and I figured that it wouldn’t do me much good anymore anyway. If someone saw me running off with Lloyd, no snake disguise would help me get out of it.

Unfortunately, we only made it a little ways out of the arena before someone spotted us.

“The prisoner is essscaping!” the Serpentine in question shouted. His voice rang loudly across the quiet city.

“Who’s that girl?”

“Get them!”

Lloyd and I began running even faster, trying to escape the Serpentine that were now pursuing us. After another turn, Ouroboros’ entrance was in sight, and the two of us sprinted straight for it. If we could just get out of the city, we would be home free.  _ Come on… Almost there… _

Suddenly, a dozen Serpentine leapt out from the alleys in front of us, effectively forming a barricade in the path of our escape route.  _ No! _

“Ah!” Lloyd cried out in surprise.

I skidded to a stop, kicking up sand. Quickly, I spotted a clear path to the left, void of snakes. “This way!” I shouted to Lloyd, sprinting for it. He followed me, hot on my tail.

Darting out of the small path, I spotted another exit from the city, clear of Serpentine. I began sprinting for it, but then the same thing happened: a large group of Serpentine leapt out of nowhere to block our escape.

“Crap!” I cursed, trying to sprint in another direction. I didn’t get very far before another several Serpentine blocked that path, too.

“We’re trapped!” Lloyd exclaimed, sticking to my side as he glanced around at all the snakes closing in.

I growled in determination. “Not if I can help it!” I darted for another clear path, determined to make it before Serpentine blocked me. Sadly, I only made it halfway before more snakes appeared, reaching out to grab me. I narrowly ducked back out of their reach, trying another direction, only to have the same thing happen again.

With each group of hissing Serpentine that appeared, I slowly but surely began to realize that Lloyd and I were truly trapped, and would not be able to escape.

As I stood before a mass of Serpentine blocking my escape, I gulped in fear, trying to figure out what to do.  _ So many snakes… _ I suddenly felt very, very afraid.

Suddenly, a cry of “Aurora!” was heard from behind me. I whipped my head around to see that Lloyd had been caught once again, and that restraining him was none other than Pythor.

“Lloyd!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening in fear for him.

Pythor laughed sinisterly, smirking in a twisted kind of amusement. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t smart little Aurora!” he greeted me. Lloyd watched me with fearful eyes, looking apologetic at being caught.

I glared at the overgrown snake.  _ What is it with people making comments on my size today? _

“A valiant rescue attempt, to be sure,” Pythor admitted, “but not well thought out.” He grinned at me maliciously. “I’m not sure how you slipped past us, but it matters little now. I suggest that you come back with us quietly, before anyone gets hurt.” To emphasize his words, he squeezed Lloyd’s arm a little too hard, making the poor boy whimper in pain.

_ Get your hands off of him, _ I wanted to say, but knew it would do me little good. Sighing, I did as Pythor said, standing still and allowing a couple of Serpentine to grab me. Pythor chuckled darkly as the snakes led the two of us away, back to the arena.

I wallowed in my defeat as I was shoved forward.  _ And we were so close, too… _

. . .

“I’m sorry, Aurora.”

Turning my gaze to Lloyd, I raised an eyebrow in question. “What’re you sorry for?”

My friend sighed, hanging his head. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten caught. Neither of us would have.”

I sighed, looking around for the hundredth time at the bars of the cage surrounding us. It was big enough for the two of us to sit down in, but that was about all the room we had. “Lloyd, it’s not your fault,” I reassured him sincerely. It was true; I didn’t blame him at all. “The dumb Serpentine are the ones I’m mad at, not you. There were way too many of them for us to be able to escape.”

“But if I hadn’t screwed up in the first place, then none of this would’ve happened!” Lloyd exclaimed, still intent on verbally kicking himself. “Maybe we should’ve just stayed at the arcade…”

“Hey,” I said, nudging him. “Remember what your uncle said to you?”

Lloyd looked up at me in question.

“We can’t change the past, but we can affect the future,” I recited, smiling at him. “We may not have been able to stop the Serpentine from uniting, but they’re in for it soon. The ninja will find us; we just have to wait for them.”

Lloyd nodded, perking up a little. “You’re right,” he said. “But I still feel bad…” He frowned at me. “Why didn’t you go get them for help? Why did you stay?”

I sighed in frustration. “Lloyd, how many times do I have to tell you that it’s because you’re my friend?” Leaning back against the uncomfortable metal bars, I went on. “I haven’t had very many friends in my life. I always had trouble making them, or they left soon after we became friends. So when I make a new friend, I do everything I can to not lose them.” I smiled at him. “Besides, I couldn’t just leave you here in the city of snakes all alone. What kind of friend would I be then? No one deserves to be alone.” I shrugged. “Well, maybe except for Pythor.”

That evoked a chuckle from Lloyd. My grin widened, glad to have cheered him up.

“I think…” Lloyd began, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “I think you’re the only real friend I’ve ever had, Aurora.”

His words tugged at my heart. “Well then, I’m honored to be the first of many,” I told him, grinning widely.

The sun rose higher in the sky as the day was set in motion. Our cage was in the shade, so we weren’t too hot---one good thing going for us. Like I’d told Lloyd, all we had to do was wait for the ninja to arrive and rescue us.

Slowly, all the Serpentine gathered again in the stone bleachers lining the area, chattering excitedly. It was as if they were waiting for something to happen, but what?

I soon had my answer. One minute, I was just sitting there moping. The next minute, I hear a loud crash, and the cheers of the Serpentine. I looked over to see exactly who we’d been waiting for: the four ninja. However, they had all been caught in a cage as they’d tried to sneak in. All of their golden weapons had just so happened to have fallen out of their reach.

Resisting the urge to facepalm, I nudged Lloyd. “Look who it is!” I told him.

He looked up, gasping as he grabbed onto the bars. “The ninja!”

The four ninja stood up in the cage, dazed. Pythor appeared and slithered over to them, saying something about catching the “main event.” He’d been expecting them. I realized that this should’ve been obvious to me; Lloyd and I were their prisoners, so of course the ninja would come running to save us.

_ Well, so much for our rescue… _

A little bit later, the four ninja were being led out into the arena by Serpentine guards. Lloyd and I watched nervously as they were led to stand before the big cage at the other end of the arena.

“You say you wanted a battle, and I give you one,” Pythor announced to the assembled snakes. He and Skales were now standing near us, at the foot of the Great Devourer statue. “I give you...ninja versus samurai!”

_ Say what? _

The doors opened, and sure enough, the huge mechanical Samurai the ninja had been going on about walked out of the dark cage. Its arms were chained to the doors, preventing his escape. I briefly wondered how the Serpentine were able to catch the Samurai when the ninja hadn’t. I saw said ninja back away in shock as the chains were removed from the Samurai.

“What?!” I heard Jay exclaim. “We have to fight the Samurai? But we don’t even have our Golden Weapons, and he has that hulking thing of armor! I-It’s not fair!”

Pythor spoke again. “I want to see once and for all who is the greatest hero. Is it Samurai? Or ninja? Only the victor will be allowed to leave!”

I exchanged a worried look with Lloyd. What would happen to the ninja if the Samurai won? What would happen to the two of us? And would Pythor actually let the victor leave? I had a hard time believing that; I didn’t trust a word that came out of that snake’s mouth.

The Samurai began the fight by throwing a giant metal shuriken at the four ninja, who all dived out of its way. It sailed upward, harmlessly glancing off of a snake statue. He then ran forward and swung his metal fist at the ninja. The four of them leapt over it gracefully, landing behind him. The Samurai stopped, then whirled around, throwing another giant shuriken at Jay, who ducked beneath it as it went by.

“Ha ha! Missed me!” he taunted.

Like a boomerang, the shuriken came sailing back around, whacking Jay in the back of the head as it returned to the Samurai’s hand. I winced.

The Samurai pulled a huge sword out of nowhere, swinging it at the ninjas. They had to duck and leap out of the way of each of his swings, evading his attacks before coming back together again. I saw them talking, coming up with a plan. Then, each of them spun around, twirling into their tornadoes of Spinjitzu.

“Earth!” Cole shouted.

“Fire!” Kai exclaimed.

“Ice!” Zane yelled.

“Lightning!” Jay cried out.

With a cry of “Ninja, go!” the four of them converged, combining their Spinjitzu tornadoes to form one giant tornado, each of their elements clearly visible throughout its rapidly spinning structure. I gazed up at it in awe as the Samurai backed away from it.

“Woah,” I breathed out.

“Awesome,” I heard Lloyd mutter beside me.

Their giant tornado began pulling tons of random objects into its vortex. Everything that wasn’t tied down was sucked into it, even the Samurai’s sword. Then, the tornado abruptly vanished, leaving a giant makeshift catapult in its wake. The four ninja were pulling it back, somehow acquiring a giant spikeball to launch at the Samurai. They let go of it, and it crashed right into the Samurai, knocking him backward right in front of where Pythor and Skales were standing.

The four ninja wasted no time, rushing forward at the two snakes to attack them. I saw Pythor pull a lever, which made spikes shoot out of the ground. They blocked the ninja from getting to us. Pythor grinned, then pulled the lever further. This time, the entire floor of the arena began to tilt, exposing a giant gaping hole beneath. The ninja and Samurai all slid downward, away from us, grabbing onto things so they wouldn’t fall in.

I scowled.  _ Geez, Pythor really likes to cheat… _

Lloyd and I couldn’t see the ninja with the risen floor in our view. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping that the ninja would all come out okay.

Suddenly, the Samurai came flying up out of the arena, all four ninja holding onto his back. The Samurai only flew up so far before stopping its ascent, apparently carrying too much weight. That was when the Samurai tapped the chest of his suit. It opened up, and the Samurai himself hopped out of it, jumping back down to the arena. His suit, along with the four ninja, went flying away from the city, home free.

_ They escaped! _

Lloyd and I cheered together. “Go, ninja, go!”

After the ninja disappeared from view, we turned our attention back to the Samurai. He landed on the stands, whacking two snakes in the face before jumping back into the arena. He ran straight for us, and for a moment, I thought he was going to rescue us.

But apparently _ some _ people didn’t want that to happen. Pythor immediately slithered over to our cage, wrenching the door open and yanking the both of us out. I guess he wanted to make sure that we weren’t rescued. Holding each of us tightly to him, he glared at the approaching Samurai. “Get him!” he bellowed, an army of Serpentine surging forward at his command.

The Samurai was surrounded by snakes, but that didn’t stop him. He pressed something on his wrist, and a blue glow appeared from it. “Magnetizer activated,” I heard him say in his altered voice.

My eye caught sight of the thing he’d pressed on his wrist: it was a familiar bracelet. I thought hard to myself, trying to think of where I remembered it from.

A beam shot out of it, magnetically picking up the ninjas’ Golden Weapons and attracting them straight to the Samurai’s waiting arms. He gracefully wrapped them all in a sheet as he spun in the air, throwing another circular shuriken in the same movement. It struck the lever near Pythor before returning to him. The floor began to tilt again, throwing the Serpentine off balance. The Samurai activated a jetpack he had on his back, flying up into the air, landing on top of the Great Devourer statue.

While Pythor growled up at him angrily, Lloyd and I watched him with a smile. I didn’t care what the ninja said; the Samurai was amazing!

After taking a dramatic bow, the Samurai flew up into the air again, fleeing the city and following the way the ninja had gone.

As I watched him fly away, my smile slowly faded. The ninja had all escaped safely, and I was so relieved about that. But...Lloyd and I were still here. We were still trapped.

Lloyd looked at me as Pythor began shouting at everyone. It seemed he’d realized the same thing. “Uh… What do we do now?” he asked me.

I sighed, looking back up at the sky, as if the ninja would suddenly appear again. “I don’t know, Lloyd,” I told him honestly. “I just don’t know.”


	8. Episode 8: Den of All Snakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a prisoner of the Serpentine can be scary, but in reality, it's also really...boring.
> 
> P.S.- Pythor's an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'm trying to post chapters daily, but I keep getting busy with other things! Ugh. I apologize. As always, I hope you enjoy!  
> \---------

Being a prisoner of the Serpentine was surprisingly...boring.

Lloyd and I had been returned to our cage shortly after the ninja and Samurai had escaped Ouroboros. And, well...we hadn’t been back out since. Pythor had shouted at everyone for a good hour, and then everyone had just dispersed after talking about what to do next.

The next day, there was talk and planning of trying to locate the four silver Fangblades, in order to awaken the Great Devourer. Apparently, that was the main reason that Pythor had forcefully united the tribes. A map of the blades’ locations could be found, but only if the five tribes came together. I only knew this because Lloyd and I ended up overhearing a lot; they liked to hold meetings in the arena for some reason.

So, while the Serpentine went about their schemes, Lloyd and I just kind of sat there in our cage. I still knew that the ninja were gonna rescue us at some point, and I hoped it would be soon. Sadly, the city of Ouroboros had hundreds of Serpentine in it, as I had discovered when attempting to escape with Lloyd; the four ninja alone would never be able to get in, rescue us, and get out safely. There were just too many snakes. I understood why they wouldn’t be coming for a while. I said as much to Lloyd, hoping to ease his worries about the ninja forgetting about us.

It wasn’t long before Pythor and his generals were able to get ahold of the map that held the locations of the four Fangblades. They were talking about it in the arena, and I could make out what they were saying. They were studying the locations on the map and deciding which Fangblade to go after first.

“There’sss one inside a volcano?” I overheard the Fangpyre general say in surprise. “How are we suposssed to retrieve it?”

“Another one of them isn’t far from here,” Skales told Pythor. “Which one do we go after firssst?”

“The order we retrieve them doesn’t matter,” Pythor stated. “It only matters that we collect them, and that we unleash the Great Devourer---before those ninja are able to stop us…”

While I rolled my eyes at them, Lloyd boldly decided to speak up. “Oh, they’ll stop you, alright!” he yelled over at them. “And then you’ll be sorry!”

I giggled at him, and Pythor growled in annoyance. Deciding to join in the fun, I spoke up, too. “He’s right!” I exclaimed. “Besides, are you  _ sure _ it’s a good idea to unleash the Great Devourer? I mean, it’s gonna consume everything in its path! When it eats all of Ninjago, what’ll there be left for you to rule?”

“Quiet, brats!” Pythor growled at us.

I smirked at his angry reaction. “Hey, I’m just saying! It’s called the ‘Great Devourer’ for a reason, right? Who’s to say it won’t end up eating the Serpentine---”

“Silence!” Pythor roared at me, cutting me off. “Keep your mouth shut before I shut it for you!”

I huffed, not very intimidated by his threat. “I was only trying to warn you…” I grumbled, plopping back down next to Lloyd.

The boy next to me chuckled. “We sure told him, huh?”

“Tried to, anyway,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest. “It’s his fault for keeping us here. If he didn’t want us to comment, he should’ve held his little club meeting somewhere else.”

Lloyd frowned. “Why are they even still holding us captive, anyway?”

I sighed, feeling helpless for a moment. “My guess is for leverage. Think about it: if the ninja end up getting one or more of the Fangblades before they do, how could the Serpentine easily get them back?”

Lloyd thought for a moment, then came to a realization. “By trading us for it,” he answered.

I nodded. “Exactly.” I sighed once more, looking around at the dull colors of the city and the desert. “I’m hoping they rescue us before that happens, though.”

“Or maybe we can escape!” Lloyd stated hopefully.

I smiled at him. “As much as I would love to, we can’t do it while we’re here in the city. There are hundreds of Serpentine.” I shook my head. “Besides, you saw what happened when we tried the first time.”

Lloyd pouted. “Aw…that’s right…” He looked at me. “So all we can do is just sit here?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” I replied, leaning my head back against the uncomfortable bars. “For now, anyway.”

We just had to bide our time. Another chance to escape on our own might come sometime. Or at least, that’s what my enthusiastic mind told me. “I do have something to cheer you up,” I told him, smirking. He looked at me in confusion, and I dug into my jacket pockets, pulling a green lollipop and a yellow lollipop out.

Lloyd’s face immediately lit up as he snatched the green lollipop from me. “Where are you keeping all this candy?!” he exclaimed in surprise, making me laugh in response.

So yes, being a prisoner of the Serpentine was a lot more boring than you’d think it was. A couple of long, uneventful days passed as Pythor and a group of Serpentine ventured out to find the first Fangblade. It was during this time when I realized how truly long a day was. Lloyd and I did whatever we could to pass the time---although it was difficult, being confined to such a small space indefinitely.

First, Lloyd and I just chatted about whatever came to mind. That didn’t keep us occupied for too long.

Next, we tried playing games. “I Spy” only lasted for ten minutes, as everything in sight was brown, tan, blue, or gray. The Serpentine milling about only walked by every so often, and when they did, it was obvious what the color clues were referring to. We tried “Rock, Paper, Clamp,” but we got tired of it when we reached “best thirty-three out of thirty-five.” The category game kept us occupied for a while, but we eventually ran out of categories.

After that, we cloudgazed. Despite being underneath the Great Devourer statue, if we both laid down with our heads in a certain spot, we could still look straight up at the sky. As I stared up at the endless blue sky and fluffy clouds, I became lost in my thoughts. For a few blissful minutes, I forgot that I was trapped in a cage in the den of all snakes.

“Lloyd,” I said at one point, “the first thing we should do after we’re rescued is go to the amusement park.”

I saw him smile in delight. “That’s a great idea! I don’t care what my uncle says---we deserve it.”

“You said it,” I replied, snorting in amusement.

He chuckled. “I haven’t been to an amusement park in ages…”

“Well, I haven’t been to one at all, so…” I muttered nonchalantly.

Lloyd sat up in shock. “What?” he exclaimed. “You haven’t?! That’s terrible!”

I shrugged. “I haven’t gotten to do a lot of things. It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” he echoed incredulously. “Of course it’s a big deal! As soon as we get out of here, I’m taking you to that amusement park!”

His determined words made me smile. “Really?” I said.

He nodded. “Yes, really! Anything for my best friend.”

I was caught off guard by his words. “Wait. I’m your...best friend?”

“Duh!” Lloyd exclaimed, as if it were obvious. “It’s official. I’ve decided.”

“Wow…” I’d never ever had a “best” friend before. “Thank you, Lloyd. You’re my best friend, too.”

Heartwarming moments sprung up even in the most bizarre situations, it seemed. Even if you were being held captive by overgrown snakes. Once again, I thanked myself for deciding to follow Lloyd Garmadon the day I met him. I would’ve never found everything that I now had, otherwise. Despite being at the mercy of the Serpentine, I was glad I was with Lloyd right now. As long as I was with a friend, I didn’t really care where I was.

Well...I would prefer to be elsewhere. But you get my point, right?

The nights were spent fitfully sleeping. The Serpentine never really bothered us, but we still didn’t feel safe. Plus, the tiny cage was not comfortable. Lloyd would sometimes use me as a pillow, and I’d find myself using him as a pillow, too. Neither of us cared; we’d take what comforts we could get.

One of the nights I couldn’t sleep, I stared up at the stars, passing the time by trying to mentally write a song. I figured that if I did that long enough, surely I’d fall asleep.

“ _ They say go slow…but we don’t wanna stand and wait… _ ” I sighed quietly. “No, that doesn’t sound right…”

Lloyd, who was also awake against his will, soon looked over at me upon hearing my muttering. “Rose, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to come up with a theme song for the ninja,” I informed him nonchalantly. “They deserve one.”

He made a surprised face. “Wow. That’s...pretty cool, actually. But...why?”

“Because I’m bored!” I whined. “I’m bored and can’t sleep, so this is the result.”

Lloyd sighed tiredly. “I know what you mean, believe me.” He shifted his position, trying to get more comfortable. “I hate sitting around like this…”

After a moment, I softly gasped in inspiration. “That’s it!” I exclaimed in a whisper. Clearing my throat, I tried singing the verse again. “ _ They say go slow, but we don’t wanna sit around no more… _ ”

~~~~~

_ “So, what kind of trouble has Lloyd gotten himself into?” _

_ Two solitary figures walked down a dark road, beneath a dark red sky in a forbidden realm. From a distance, they looked almost the same---but the truth was that they were as different as day and night. _

_ “Well, I’m afraid to say, the worst kind,” Sensei Wu told his brother. “He’s re-opened the Serpentine tombs, and now that they have united, Pythor is trying to find the four silver Fangblades to unleash the Great Devourer.” _

_ “The very snake that turned me evil?” Lord Garmadon replied in shock. _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Why would Lloyd open the tombs?” Garmadon wondered. _

_ Sensei Wu put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “To be like you.” _

_ “I...never wanted him to,” Garmadon admitted. “Thank you for watching out for him.” _

_ Wu nodded. “I am not the only one,” he stated knowingly. “Your son’s made a good friend.” _

_ Garmadon turned to him curiously. “He has?” _

_ “Indeed. Ever since Lloyd opened the first tomb, she’s been by his side as a loyal friend. She even tried to warn him against it. She has a good heart, and is wise for one so young.” Wu cracked a small smile. “The two have been inseparable.” _

_ His brother made a noise of surprise. “Never did I think that Lloyd would become such good friends with a girl at his age… He was always going on about how much he doesn’t like them.” _

_ Wu chuckled at his words. “She is a good influence on him. They make quite the pair.” _

_ Garmadon had to smile. “Well, I am thankful that both she and you have been there for my son.” _

_ The old sensei hummed. “You may think of me as your enemy, but I was first your brother.” _

~~~~~

It didn’t take too long for Pythor to return with the first Fangblade. My heart sank at what I assumed was a victory for him over the ninja. There were still three left, however, so I wasn’t too worried about it.

I overheard him ordering his Serpentine lackeys to take the Fangblade to their second base.

The Serpentine had  _ another _ base? Wasn’t a giant city specifically designed for them enough?

Not too long afterward, plans were made to retrieve the second Fangblade. And, to my and Lloyd’s great surprise, this time when the Serpentine set out, they took us  _ with _ them.

Our cage was portable. A Venomari with a spear carried it on a long metal hook, towing us behind him as the Serpentine marched on in a group, Pythor in the lead, of course. I had no idea why he was bringing us along, but I knew it couldn’t be good. Lloyd and I fidgeted with anticipation to see where we were going.

We trekked across the desert. Well, the Serpentine trekked; Lloyd and I just sat in our cage for the whole trip. I supposed that was one perk of being prisoners: you didn’t have to walk across vast deserts. Although, I’d been in this cage for so long that I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs if they forced us to…

As the sun neared its peak in the sky, we arrived at a mysterious temple. Surrounded by three large statues of snakes like the ones in Ouroboros, a tall stone pyramid towered atop a sand dune. The whole thing was weathered and sandy from years of enduring many sandstorms. Apparently, this was where the second Fangblade resided. I grew fascinated by the sight of the ancient temple, but also worried about what awaited us there. If it was one thing I’d learned from reading adventure novels, it was that ancient temples often held booby traps within them.

The cage was too big to fit through the half-crumbled entrance, so the Serpentine settled for chaining us up instead and having us walk with them. It was dark inside, but the Serpentine lit torches to light our way. Pythor and Skales navigated the group through the maze of hallways. Soon, they halted in their trek at the entrance to a seemingly normal hallway. I had to stand up on my tippy toes in order to see what was going on over all the snake heads in front of me.

“What’s going on?” Lloyd whispered to me. “Can you see anything?” As I’d pointed out a few days prior, I actually was an inch taller than he was. A lot of good it did me, but I could see a little more than he could.

“I’m trying!” I whispered back. It was hard to keep my balance with my arms tied to my sides.

I overheard Skales grumbling from the front of the group. “Why mussst we stop when the next Fangblade is just ahead of usss?” The temple was really echoey, so I could hear his words clearly.

Pythor responded by banging the end of his staff on the floor in front of him. At first, all I heard was a rumbling, but when I peered around the snakes I saw the floor crumbling in front of us. The top layer of stones disappeared into a vast chasm of darkness.

_Yep, I knew it._ _Booby traps._

“What good is unlocking the Great Devourer with the four Fangblades if we’re not around to see it?!” Pythor yelled at his second-in-command. “Get the children.”

“Bring the children!”

I immediately went back to being flat on my feet, gulping audibly. “Uh oh…”

Our Venomari guard and a Fangpyre shoved the two of us to the front of the group. Lloyd and I tried not to look as scared as we felt, but I had a feeling that we weren’t succeeding on that. Once we were standing in front of Pythor, the snakes behind us wrenched off the chains binding us. I was surprised. Why were they not restraining us?

Lloyd made a noise of surprise. “You’re letting us go?”

Pythor made a short chuckle. “Only to fetch, my dear boy.” He began to nudge Lloyd forward towards the gaping hole, and the small section of rocks still intact on one side. “Do step lightly.”

My friend made a noise of protest, backing away from the hole. “I-I’m not sure I can…”

“You can, and you will,” Pythor told him, in a tone of fake encouragement. When Lloyd still hesitated, he growled, then turned around briefly to grab me by the arm, yanking me to his side. I yelped when a stab of pain shot through my arm at the sudden movement. “If you don’t go, I may just have to make your friend here fetch it instead.”

Lloyd’s eyes widened at the threat, glancing at me in concern. Not wanting me to have to cross the pit of death, he gulped and turned around, shimmying onto the unstable rocks. The rocks didn’t immediately crumble under him, which I was grateful for. He came across a small gap, and jumped, only for the rock he landed on to fall out from under him. I screamed right after he did, relief washing through me when he managed to grab on to the next rock and pull himself up on it. Safely making it to the other side, I sighed in relief as he turned back to us.

“Bring me the Fangblade, and I’ll let you both go,” Pythor promised him.

I resisted the urge to snort.  _ Yeah, sure you will. _

Lloyd frowned, making a scared noise as he turned around to continue onward.

“You can do it, Lloyd!” I shouted at him for encouragement.

He took two steps forward before the ground began crumbling underneath him again. He yelped, making a run for it as all the stones began tumbling down into the dark abyss below. I watched in fear as he made it across the falling rocks, narrowly escaped falling spikes, ran through arrows flying out of the walls, and somehow escaped the ceiling falling on him, disappearing behind the rubble.

If Pythor still hadn’t been gripping my arm, I would’ve fainted. “Lloyd!” I shouted down the destroyed hallway at the top of my lungs, cupping a hand around my mouth. “Are you okay?!”

A moment of eerie silence, then, “I’m alright!”

I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I’d been holding.  _ Typical Lloyd, scaring me like that! _

There was another pause, then Lloyd shouted, “It’s gone!”

I assumed he meant the Fangblade. “You mean he did all that for nothing?” I muttered in shock.

“It’s _ gone _ ?!” Pythor echoed in fury.

“Where isss it?” Skales exclaimed.

“Do we still get to be free?” came Lloyd’s muffled, hopeful question.

“No!”

I heard Lloyd groan loudly in frustration. I groaned, too, rolling my eyes in annoyance.  _ Saw this coming a mile away _ , I thought, irritated by all this.

It took a lot of struggling on Lloyd’s part, but eventually, he made it back over to us safely. Well, being with a bunch of Serpentine wasn’t safe, but it was safer than ancient booby traps trying to kill you at every turn. As soon as Lloyd arrived back on our side of the hallway, we ran to each other, embracing tightly. I’d ran to him because I’d been so worried (honestly, I think that was the most I’d ever been scared in my entire life), and I assumed he’d ran to me because he’d been terrified the entire time.

Our bonding moment was quickly interrupted by the Serpentine pulling us apart, chaining us up again as Pythor led the group out of the temple, already angrily conversing with Skales as to the whereabouts of the Fangblade that was supposed to be here. Lloyd and I moped at the back of the group, being shoved along by the Serpentine guarding us.

“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done,” Lloyd said to me.

I nodded in agreement. “That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever  _ watched _ . I’m impressed you came out of there unscathed.”

“I am, too,” he said, surprised at having survived the ordeal. He then sighed, turning to me with a defeated look. “Aurora, are we ever gonna get out of here?” Like me, he’d had his hopes squashed by Pythor once again.

I knew he was referring to the clutches of the Serpentine, not the temple. “We will, Lloyd,” I strongly assured him. “Just...not on our own.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ve been trying to think of another escape plan these past few days, but nothing I come up with has us coming out on top. We can’t do this alone.” I hung my head, wondering where the ninja were---and when they would come to rescue us. “I’m afraid that only the ninja can save us now…”


	9. Episode 9: The Green and the Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will the ninja finally rescue us from the Serpentine, or will we burn alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! The Green Ninja and the Yellow Ninja are both finally revealed!
> 
> I say that like you all don't already know who they are, but I love being dramatic. Enjoy!  
> __________

Nearly a week had passed since our capture when the Serpentine set out to retrieve the third silver Fangblade. They’d unfortunately been able to find the second one after all---why it wasn’t in the stupid temple, I had no idea, but it mattered little now. Pythor now had half of the Fangblades he needed, and was that much closer to awakening the Great Devourer.

Which I still thought was an incredibly stupid idea. But of course, he wouldn’t listen to me.

To my surprise, he had the Serpentine take me and Lloyd with them again to the third Fangblade’s location. Probably to make one or both of us brave perilous dangers for them again, I wagered. He and I sat in our cage, sulking and bored out of our minds as the Serpentine made the long trek through a forest with us in tow. I pulled more candy out of random pockets to keep both of our spirits up, but it was growing more difficult to remain positive as the time went by.

Lloyd and I leaned on each other, tired of this uncomfortable cage. “Aurora,” Lloyd muttered after a moment, “what if the ninja never rescue us?”

I was about to assure him that they would, when I caught sight of something up in the sky. It was a small, dark figure, and I heard it caw in the distance. It looked like a bird of some sort...a falcon? The flying bird was familiar, and I was trying to think of where I’d seen it before.

_ Zane! _ I suddenly realized.  _ Is that Zane’s falcon? _ If it was, then the ninja wouldn’t be far behind it.

“They will, Lloyd,” I reassured him, smiling. “And something tells me that it’ll happen very soon.”

Soon, the group arrived before a massive volcano. The dark mass towered into the orange sky, smoke billowing from its top and glowing hot lava running down its sides and pooling at the bottom. I stared up at it in fear, wondering for the thousandth time why we were willingly going into the heart of an active volcano.

Because Pythor was crazy, that’s why.

There was a temple at the base of the volcano, and the path the Serpentine traveled on led straight to it. A long stone bridge led to it over a river of lava. The temple was red, black, and gray, and if it weren’t for the fact that it sat precariously at the bottom of a freaking volcano, I would’ve found it cool. But for right now, it was a fiery temple of doom.

The heat baked us as our cage was carried up the steps, into the temple, and then down into the heart of the volcano, where the Fangblade apparently was buried. How it even ended up in a place like this, I had no idea, but we were paying for it now. I tried to keep myself cool, while Lloyd merely sulked quietly.

Unstable, precarious wooden bridges connected the pillars sticking out of the lava. The Serpentine spread out, placing our cage on one pillar and beginning to dig in another. Pythor was shouting orders at everyone, and I resisted the urge to tell him how stupid he was. This volcano looked like it could erupt at any moment.

Lloyd and I waited for a while for something to happen, both too scared and tired from the intense heat to talk. Then, finally, a metallic clang reverberated through the chamber.

Pythor immediately gasped. “Out of my way, fool!” he exclaimed, shoving aside the Hypnobrai that had been digging. He hopped into the hole, bending down before reappearing with a huge smirk on his face---and holding another Fangblade. “The third fangblade is ours!” he announced triumphantly. All the Serpentine cheered, and Lloyd and I exchanged a defeated look.

Pythor slithered back out of the hole, admiring the Fangblade as he looked into it closely. Suddenly, he seemed to spot something, and his smirk vanished. “Ninja?” I heard him mutter, before whirling around and pointing the blade. “Attack!”

I looked over, and gasped in delight when I saw all the ninja plus Sensei Wu himself standing to fight the Serpentine.  _ When did they get here?! _ I smiled widely. “Lloyd, look!” I exclaimed, elbowing him and leaping to my feet.

“It’s the ninja!” he exclaimed, sounding just as relieved as I was.

Sensei Wu pointed his staff at the Serpentine. “Light as a leaf!” he told the ninja as the snakes surged forward. “Attack like there is no tomorrow!”

He and the ninjas attacked, knocking the Serpentine into the lava and engaging them in battle. They all used their elemental powers to fight and safely get themselves over the lava lake below. I spotted a dark figure fighting off to the side; his skin was dark as night, and he had...four arms?!

Kai pulled out his fire sword, and the lava below immediately glowed brighter, growing more unstable.

Pythor ordered the snakes, “Let’s get out of here!” The Serpentine began a mass exodus of the volcano, taking me and Lloyd in our cage with them. As they carried us up the stairs, a few Constrictai tunneled into the stone on Pythor’s orders, making holes in the lava pillars where the ninja were trapped. Lava surged up from the new holes, making the lava below rise up faster and grow even more unstable. Chucks of rock started falling from the ceiling, making me start to fear for my life.

“Oh no,” I said softly, now worrying for the ninjas.

“Any minute, this place is gonna blow,” I heard Jay state. It was echoey in here, and his voice carried over to us. “We have to get out of here!”

The four-armed man pushed himself out from between Jay and Kai. “Not without my son!”

As if on cue, Lloyd screamed, “Dad!”

_ Dad?! _ Wait---this dark, four-armed man was Lloyd’s father?  _ That _ was  _ the _ Lord Garmadon?! He certainly looked like Lord Garmadon, definitely sporting a “lord of darkness” look.

Lloyd’s father--Lord Garmadon--started nimbly leaping from pillar to pillar, crossing the pool of lava that was slowly building up. He raced over to where we were on the stairs, dodging falling rocks as he went. He leapt into the air, crashing down on a group of Serpentine at the back. He easily fought them all off with a sword. More waves of Serpentine rushed down to attack him, but Lord Garmadon plowed through them like they were nothing, knocking them all aside with the weapons he’d stolen. For a wonderful moment, I thought he was going to rescue us at last.

That was when Pythor growled in fury. “Argh! Lose the brats!”

The Serpentine carrying our cage suddenly used the long metal rod to yank us both to the side, holding our cage over the ascending lava like a fishing rod over water. I screamed in terror, and Lloyd once again yelled, “Dad!”

“Lloyd!” I heard Garmadon exclaim.

“Aurora!” the ninja shouted in alarm.

Our cage crashed down onto some rocks as the Serpentine let it go, still untouched by the lava, but not for long. It rose higher and higher, slowly but surely about to incinerate the bottom of our cage---and us along with it. Lloyd and I clung to each other in fear, hoping that we wouldn’t die and that somebody would save us.

The bottom of the cage began burning away, and Lloyd and I screamed in terror. We backed away onto the bars as best we could--the cage was tilted sideways--and tried to stay out of the lava’s reach for as long as possible. Lloyd was in front of me, trying to squish us both back into the cage as the lava slowly closed in.

_ This can’t be how it ends, _ I thought desperately.  _ Right? _

Thankfully, it was not. Just as soon as I thought we were going to die, the cage was lifted up again. Lloyd and I hurriedly grabbed onto the bars as it was lifted into the air and back to the stairs. I was relieved to see Lord Garmadon had finally reached us, bringing our cage back to safety.

As soon as we were over the stairs, we both let go and dropped down. In turn, Garmadon let go of the cage, and it clanged to the ground.  _ We’re okay. We’re alive! _ I was beyond relieved.

“Dad!” Lloyd exclaimed joyfully, leaping into his father’s arms.

“Son,” Lord Garmadon greeted with a smile, wrapping all four of his arms around his son protectively.

In the chaos and aftershock of having almost died, I had to smile. Despite Lord Garmadon’s scary appearance, he truly cared for his son, which warmed my heart. I could also see how happy Lloyd was to be reunited with him, and I was glad that he’d found his father again.

It made me think of my parents...who I never got to meet…

Kai suddenly sprinted past us. “That Fangblade is mine!” he shouted in determination.

I watched him run up the stairs. “Kai! What are you doing?!”

“Come back!” I heard Cole shout after him. “It’s too dangerous! The whole place is going to explode!”

“Then I’d better be quick,” Kai replied, not stopping.

I shook my head.  _ Is this about becoming the Green or Yellow Ninja again? _ Knowing Kai, it probably was.

Lord Garmadon pulled away from Lloyd. He then quickly led us both over to where the ninjas were waiting below another exit. When I reached Cole and Zane, I briefly hugged them both, still very relieved that I was back with them. They hugged me back, seemingly also relieved that I was okay. 

Quickly, we all climbed the wall---Lloyd being carried up by his father, and Cole carrying me. As I clung to Cole, I tried to ignore the searing bursts of fire exploding from the lake of lava below us, burying my face into his back. Thankfully, we reached the ledge safely, rejoining with Jay and Sensei Wu. Jay gave me a quick hug as well, also relieved that I was alright. It touched me how much they’d all been worried about me.

_ Where’s Kai? _ I wondered. I looked back across the fiery chasm to see him running up the stairs, going to his fire sword to try and pull it from the wall. It had wedged the Fangblade into the stone, and he was desperately trying to yank it out.  _ He’s still over there?! _

“Leave it, Kai!” Jay yelled at him. “It’s not worth your life!”

“Not without that Fangblade!” Kai yelled back stubbornly.

The lava rose higher and higher, all but submerging the pillars we’d been standing on only minutes before. Time was running out, and we needed to leave now. Sensei Wu said as much over the roar of the volcano.

“But what about Kai?” Lloyd asked, stepping over to the edge.

I stepped up next to him. “Kai!” I shouted over the chasm. “We need to go now!”

Suddenly, the stone beneath us cracked. Lloyd and I stumbled as the piece of ledge we’d been standing on broke off from the rest of it, sending us falling down again to the lava below. Everyone else surged forward, trying to reach for us in time. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, Garmadon shouting “Lloyd!” as Cole shouted “Aurora!” Garmadon tried to grab onto Lloyd, and Cole tried to give me his scythe to grab onto, but it was too late, and they narrowly missed us. Nothing stopped me and Lloyd from falling down, down, down, back toward the pit of lava waiting below us. We both screamed, fearing for our lives all over again. I saw everyone’s shocked faces watching us fall as we reached out for them, to no avail.

We landed on the chunk of ledge that had broken off, trapped on it as it floated on the lava---and carried us away from the ninja. 

“Dad!” Lloyd shouted up to them in despair.

“Help!” I yelled in much the same tone.

A wall of lava surged between us and them, pushing us further away. Lloyd and I huddled together on the narrow chunk of rock, terrified as it floated in the middle of the lava. “Dad! We’re sinking!” Lloyd cried out. Rocks were falling down all around us, splashing into the lava again and again. Lloyd and I flinched at every rock that fell near us, praying that we wouldn’t get burned or hit by a falling stone.

“We have to get out of here,” I heard Sensei Wu proclaim, “or else  _ none _ of us will get out of here!”

They all backed into the exit reluctantly. My eyes were wide as I watched them leave, feeling hopeless. Who would save us now?

“But what about my son?!” I heard Lord Garmadon exclaim before the exit was blocked by chunks of falling stone.

_ Yeah! What about us?! _

Lloyd clung to me, and I to him. “I’m sorry,” he started whining. “I’m so, so sorry, Aurora.”

“W-What are you sorry for now?” I asked him, my voice shaking with fear. I yelped as lava splashed a little too close for comfort.

“It’s my fault we’re here!” Lloyd exclaimed. He sounded like he was on the verge of crying. “It’s my fault that all of this happened! If you had never come with me, you would never have been here! You never would’ve been put in danger like this!” he sobbed. “We wouldn’t be...about to…”

_ He’s blaming himself for all of this? _ I thought incredulously.  _ For me being in danger? _

We flinched away from another large, fiery splash. “Lloyd Garmadon,” I said sternly, “if you think that I regret following you that day, then you’re wrong!”

Lloyd looked at me in confusion. “Huh?”

“If I had never found you that day, then I never would’ve met you!” I explained to him. “From the moment I met you, my life’s been an incredible adventure. We’ve seen amazing things, done amazing things, and hung out with a bunch of amazing ninja! Sure, we almost died a few times along the way,” a giant rock splashed near us, making me squeal mid-sentence, “but through it all, I gained the best friend I ever had!” Banishing my fear for a moment, I gave Lloyd a bright smile. “Now that I’ve known you, I can’t imagine life without you! So don’t apologize for any of this---truthfully, there’s no place I’d rather be than with you!”

“R-Really?” Lloyd exclaimed, shocked at my words. “You mean it?”

I nodded, still smiling in the middle of the chaos. “Thank you for giving me the adventure I always wanted!” If we were truly going to die today, I was glad it was with my best friend, at the end of a journey the likes of which I could never imagine.

Lloyd finally smiled at me, expressing more awe and appreciation than his words ever could.

We heard a clanging noise, and turned to see the Fangblade fall down onto a rock nearby. Kai soon dropped down after it, crawling along a rock and attempting to reach it.  _ I’d forgotten he was still here! _ Maybe there was hope for escape after all!

“Kai!” Lloyd shouted at him.

“Help us!” I pleaded.

The fire ninja turned at our voices, and his eyes widened as he saw the two of us trapped in the middle of the lava, close to being incinerated. He looked from the Fangblade to us, trying to make a decision. Lloyd and I gave him pleading looks.  _ Is the Fangblade really THAT important? _

Finally, Kai stepped back, then leapt over to us. “Come on,” he told us. “Let’s get out of here.” He flipped across the rocks, landing on the one we were huddled on. We both clung to him immediately, and he held onto the both of us protectively.

“But the Fangblade…” Lloyd pointed out. It was sinking into the lava.

“Forget it!” Kai told him. “This place is coming apart!”

He held onto me and Lloyd tightly. With a cry of, “Ninja, go!” he used Spinjitzu to leap from rock to rock, trying to cross the pool of lava and find an exit. Both of the ones the others had used were blocked, and I didn’t see any other way out than the giant hole at the volcano’s very top.

We were trapped.

Kai shielded us from the walls of fire that surged up again and again all around us. The three of us barely fit onto the small rock floating in the lava, and was slowly sinking. Lloyd and I grabbed each other’s hand, clinging to Kai in terror. I didn’t see any way out of this, couldn’t figure out what to do---and neither could Kai, it seemed.

The fire and lava surrounded us in an inferno of doom, and I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking that we were all about to die…

That was when Kai started glowing.

I heard him gasp, as if realizing something. Bright red and orange lights surrounded him, and his whole body seemed to go transparent. Lloyd and I watched in awe as the lights formed a sphere of fire around us all, protecting us from the inferno. Still holding onto us tightly, Kai floated up into the air as the volcano finally erupted. I screamed, but we were unaffected by the blast---if anything, it gave us a boost upward as the sphere of light flew up and out of the top of the volcano.

I could hardly believe my eyes.

We traveled through the smoke and fire, out of the volcano and into the bright blue sky. Kai’s sphere of fiery light soared over the forest like a shooting star, and that was when I realized that we had survived. We were free!

I saw the Destiny’s Bounty flying off to the side, and Kai headed straight for it. I could see everyone gathered at the bow of the ship, watching us in awe and amazement. I smiled, so relieved that we were going to come out of this okay.

Kai landed on the ship, everyone surrounding us. As soon as the fiery orb disappeared, he let go of me and Lloyd. Tired and distorted from the near-death experience and intense heat, we both collapsed onto the deck. I saw Kai remove his mask, the biggest grin on his face. Then, he stopped glowing, and collapsed too, still smiling all the way.

Everyone rushed to help us. Nya and Jay helped Kai, Lloyd’s father helped Lloyd, and Zane and Cole helped me. The two of them hugged me again in relief.

“Glad to have you back, Aurora,” Cole told me.

I hummed tiredly, burrowing further into his arms. “Me too…”

He chuckled, picking me up and holding me. As we all made our way to gather in the bridge, the Bounty sailed away from the volcano, leaving it in our dust. For the first time in a while, I felt safe and sound again.

Once we were on the bridge, Sensei Wu piloted the Destiny’s Bounty away. The rest of us watched Lloyd reunite with his father. “D-Dad?” he asked blearily. “Is it really you?”

“It is, son,” Lord Garmadon assured him, pulling his son close.

Lloyd frowned. “Dad?” he inquired. “Why do you have four arms?”

That made me giggle so hard I almost fell over.

Cole looked at us both, smiling. “They’re gonna be okay,” he announced.

Everyone started cheering, celebrating our return home. I ran over to Lloyd, tackling him in a warm hug. He hugged me back tightly, relieved that we were both okay. He smiled at me fondly. After everything, we’d finally made it home. Together. I was really glad that our special moment in the volcano wouldn’t be our last.

After I let go of him, I stepped back, turning to smile at Kai as Garmadon addressed him. “Thank you, Kai,” he told him, putting a hand on Lloyd’s shoulder.

“But how did you survive?” Zane asked the fire ninja. “How did you discover the key to unlocking your powers?”

I thought of the orb of light and fire that had blazed around us.  _ Was that what that was? _

“I knew when I had to make a choice,” Kai explained to us. “I wanted the Fangblade so badly, to prove I was good enough to become the Green Ninja or the Yellow Ninja. But then I figured it out.” He looked at his hands. “All of my training to become the best ninja wasn’t in preparation to  _ become _ the Green or Yellow Ninja. It was...to  _ protect _ them.” With those words, he looked straight at me and Lloyd, smiling.

All eyes turned to us in confusion, and I was a little confused myself. Slowly, one by one, everyone in the room seemed to come to some sort of realization. Their mouths dropped open, and their eyes widened in shock---and everyone’s attention remained on us. Even Garmadon and Wu were astonished. Lloyd and I exchanged a glance, wondering what in the world had gotten into them.

_ What is it? _ I thought in confusion. I grew a little self-conscious at all the attention I was getting, and shyly half hid behind Lloyd. “W-What?” I asked them in a squeaky voice.

“What is everyone looking at us for?” Lloyd asked as his father stepped away from us.

Nya smiled in realization. “That means…” She and Kai grabbed all four of the Golden Weapons, bringing them over to where Lloyd and I stood. As soon as they all were near us, they began floating in the air before our eyes, enveloping us both in a bright glow. I gazed around the lights in awe. Lloyd was surrounded by an emerald green glow, and I was surrounded by a shiny yellow glow. The two colors seemed to dance with each other, as if they were meant to be together. The sight was definitely amazing, but I was still a little confused. What was going on?

“Lloyd is the Green Ninja!” Sensei Wu exclaimed in shock. “And Aurora is the Yellow Ninja! I had thought they would be two of you, but it was them the whole time. It all makes sense.” He walked over to stand by me and Lloyd. “Not only have you four been chosen to protect the Golden Weapons, but also to protect the chosen ones.”

Lloyd and I exchanged a look as he placed a hand on both of our shoulders. I was bewildered.  _ So…you mean to tell me that the random prophecy that Lloyd and I had stumbled upon one day, the one we’d dismissed without a second thought… We’re a PART of that prophecy?! WE’RE the Green and Yellow Ninjas?! _

A smile spread over my face as I fully realized what was so amazing.  _ I’m the Yellow Ninja… _

A ninja of legend? Me?

Was I dreaming?

I saw Lord Garmadon frown as he came to a realization of his own. “That means…”

Sensei Wu faced him solemnly. “The battle lines have been drawn, brother,” he stated in a grim tone. “Sadly, our family has only become more divided. Brother versus brother, and now, son versus father.” 

Lloyd walked up to his father in disbelief; I could see the sadness written all over his face. Since he was apparently the Green Ninja of legend--a force of good--that meant that he would have to face his father one day. The room was tense as the realization set in, and I had a feeling that nobody liked how this family was being split apart.  _ I can’t imagine what Lloyd’s going through _ , I thought, feeling sorry for him.  _ He just reunited with his father, only to have another separation come between them again. _

The solemn moment was abruptly broken when Jay started chuckling. “This is heavy and all, but whatever happened to the  _ Fangblade _ ?!”


	10. Episode 10: All of Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to steal the Fangblades from the Serpentine---which is easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I posted another chapter on schedule! Hope you all are excited, because after this, we start the season finale! And I have big plans. Woo-hoo!  
> __________

After that bomb had dropped, things went relatively back to normal. Sure, there was a ton of hype and disbelief from the ninja at me and Lloyd being the two ninja of legend, and a lot of excitement on my part, but we did still have a crisis that needed to be stopped. Apparently, Pythor had somehow gotten ahold of the third Fangblade from the volcano (which was so incredibly unlucky, as that blade could’ve ended up anywhere after the eruption). When the ninja interrogated a Serpentine a day later, they discovered from him that Pythor was already going to get the last Fangblade---which meant bad news for us.

Our whole group stood before the giant screen on the bridge. A map was shown, with a path leading to the location of the last Fangblade.

“The Venomari’s right,” Nya announced. “By the time we cast sail clear across to the other side of Ninjago, Pythor will have already beat us to the last Fangblade.”

“Oh, come on, guys,” Jay protested. “This is the last one. We gotta get it! We gotta think of something.”

The ninja all hummed in thought. There was silence for a moment, then Lloyd spoke up from next to me. He wasn’t wearing his hood again, exposing his blond hair. “Hey,” he muttered. The others turned to him curiously. “All we have to do is just get one Fangblade to stop him. What if we take back the other three? Pythor wouldn’t risk having them _all_ on him. He’s probably hidden them somewhere, while he goes for the fourth.”

I gasped as I remembered something. “Lloyd, you’re a genius!” I praised him, beaming. “A little while ago, I overheard Pythor saying something about a ‘second base.’ He’s probably stashed the other Fangblades there. If we can find it, we can take them all back!”

“It’s so simple,” Cole stated in surprise.

“Hah! Why didn’t I think of that?” Kai wondered.

“It can’t be _that_ easy,” Jay pointed out.

“Easy?” Zane echoed with a frown. “My algorithms suggest taking the other three would be far more dangerous. Pythor would undoubtedly have them protected by his top generals.”

His...algorithms? _Oh, that’s right,_ I remembered. _The others told me that Zane’s apparently something called a nindroid…?_ The ninja had caught me up on all the events while we’d been gone, and that had been the weirdest of them all. Zane’s falcon was apparently a robot, too.

Kai smirked. “Finally, I don’t have to hold back.”

“Even if you _could_ steal the other three, you don’t even know where they are,” Lord Garmadon pointed out.

“He’s right,” Sensei Wu agreed. “For the past few weeks, there have been almost no Serpentine sightings. How are they moving around? It’s like they’re ghosts.”

“Or snakes!” Nya exclaimed in realization. “Bridge, give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago.”

The computer did as it was told, sweeping the map for Serpentine. Nothing popped up.

“See?” Kai said. “Nothing. It’s just like Sensei said.”

“But what if they aren’t traveling above ground?” Nya suggested. “They’re snakes, right? Snakes burrow.” She turned back around to the screen. “Bridge, now give me a sonar sweep of Ninjago, but twenty feet below the surface.”

The map pulled away from the screen, becoming three-dimensional and descending in the middle of our group. Beneath the surface, I could see many red lines converging on a single spot.

“All the tombs have been interconnected,” Kai pointed out.

“To make one massive underground fortress,” Cole finished.

“And all this time, right under our noses,” Jay grumbled.

Zane smiled. “Or rather, feet.”

Kai pointed to a spot where the tunnels converged. “There. That’s the most protected area. The Fangblades must be held there.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Sensei Wu asked decisively. “Nya, set the course.”

“Already on it,” she told him. “We’ll be there by sun-up.”

Everyone leapt into action to prepare for the upcoming battle. The ninjas all headed up to the deck to train and sharpen their skills. Nya piloted the ship to the fortress, and Lloyd and I were sent off to bed. Everyone figured that the two of us should at least try and get some sleep before the sun rose. He and I grumbled at being sent off to bed, but what we didn’t want to admit was how exhausted we still were from all the craziness we’d escaped from. We both crashed in the bed we’d been given.

Before we drifted off to sleep, Lloyd chuckled to himself.

I turned to him. “What is it?”

He looked up at the ceiling in thought. “Ninja of legend, huh?” He smiled over at me. “Who would’ve thought?”

“I know what you mean,” I told him, returning his smile. “I can hardly believe it myself…”

We woke up at the crack of dawn, all rested and ready for action. The Destiny’s Bounty sailed over the vast sea of fluffy white clouds below, a true calm before the storm ahead of us. We found the ninjas intensely training again up on the deck, Sensei Wu overseeing them. He was running them through how to defend themselves against each of the Serpentine tribes and their abilities. I stayed and watched them, but Lloyd went inside after a while, probably to talk to his father.

“ _We’re arriving at the Mountain of a Million Steps_ ,” Nya soon announced over the PA system. “ _You all might want to see this._ ”

I ran with the ninjas over to the side of the Bounty, watching as the tall mountain loomed into view. It peaked above the clouds, and the opening at the top made it appear like some sort of snake opening its fanged mouth to bite.

“Look at all those piles of dirt,” Jay observed.

“What are those snakes up to?” Kai wondered.

Lloyd appeared and ran up to my side, then the two of us ran to join the ninja. “Wait for us!” he cried, scurrying with me so that we didn’t miss the ninja leaving. We wanted to help, too.

Unfortunately, Lloyd’s uncle was already shaking his head. “This is not your fight,” he told the two of us as we halted next to him. He put reassuring hands on our shoulders as we frowned. “The Green Ninja and Yellow Ninja are both too important for a future destiny. You shall both stay with me.”

Lloyd and I nodded in acceptance. Although, I still couldn’t help but feel disappointed…

A low rumble of jet boosters sounded, and we all looked up to see Nya descending onto the deck in her Samurai X suit. Although this time, her voice wasn’t altered as she spoke. “Well, they’re gonna have to look after themselves,” she explained, “because we made room for you.” She gestured to a seat that had been installed on the shoulder of her suit.

“Well, you said you were concerned that you couldn’t keep up,” Kai pointed out, “so Jay and Nya rejiggered the design so you could come along. Well, what do you think?”

“I think...shotgun!” the old sensei exclaimed joyfully, leaping up into his seat in a very child-like manner. The sight made me giggle at him---I loved it when his humorous side came out.

Lord Garmadon walked over to us. “I will stay back with Lloyd and Aurora,” he decided. “I don’t enjoy saying this, but… Good luck.” He tried to smile the best he could.

And so, all the ninja, Nya, and Sensei Wu left for the fortress, descending down into its depths to retrieve the Fangblades. I crossed my fingers, hoping that they would succeed in their mission---because if they didn’t, it could mean the end of Ninjago.

Lloyd and I tried to occupy ourselves until they got back. We tried playing video games together, but our minds kept going to the ninja and when they would be back. Our anxiety made it hard to focus on anything else, no matter how hard we tried.

After a little while had passed, Lloyd excused himself to go find his dad. I stayed and continued to play the game---for a few minutes, anyway. My stomach growled, as I hadn’t eaten anything today. In all this excitement, I had forgotten to inquire about breakfast. We would probably be eating once the ninja returned, but I needed something now. So, I paused the game, then went toward the kitchen to grab a snack.

I passed the open door to the bridge on my way there. When I heard Lloyd’s voice from inside, I halted.

“You’re stealing?!”

I knew that it was rude to eavesdrop, but I didn’t want to interrupt any conversation that wasn’t meant for me. So, I crept closer to the door, putting my stealth skills to the test. I peeked around the corner, seeing Lloyd confronting his father, who was typing away at the giant computer. It looked like he was...stealing files? _Why?_

At Lloyd’s outburst, Lord Garmadon turned to him, gasping as he was caught red-handed.

“Dad!” Lloyd admonished. “My friends are risking their lives to save Ninjago, and you go behind their backs to gain an advantage?”

Garmadon sighed, actually looking...guilty? “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it,” he explained. “Ever since the Devourer bit me, evil runs through my blood.”

Lloyd frowned at him. “You left me for so long. Where did you _go_?”

“Son, there are places in this world void of any good,” his father told him. “Dark places…”

“Is that where Sensei found you?” Lloyd guessed.

“You know how I’ve always wanted those Golden Weapons,” Garmadon pointed out. “Well, this place allowed me the power to possess them!”

“But why didn’t you take me with you?” Lloyd whined.

“Every boy has a choice to grow up to be whoever they want to be,” Garmadon sighed. “But I never had that choice. Because I was bitten, evil runs through my veins. But you have a choice. You don’t need to be like me, Lloyd.” He put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “What about your friend Aurora? Are you going to leave her just to be evil with me? Your uncle has a plan for you both, and even though it may be to stop me one day, we have to follow our own destiny.” He looked away sadly. “And after I help the ninja stop Pythor, I’ll need to leave again.”

Suddenly, Lloyd snapped. “Then why don’t you just leave now?!”

“Lloyd---”

“No, really!” Lloyd exclaimed. “Go back to whatever evil place you came from.”

My heart ached at his words. He didn’t really want his father to leave---I could tell from the sadness in his tone. But Lloyd knew that it would be easier for him to leave now instead of later. Plus, he was undoubtedly still bitter at his father for leaving him in favor of becoming more powerful.

Any further outbursts were cut off by intense static from over the communication system. Nya’s voice crackled through it. “ _Alright, Operation Stealth was a total bust. We’re gonna need reinforcements! Anyone there?_ ”

Lord Garmadon reached to answer her, but Lloyd swatted his hand away. “We don’t want your help,” he exclaimed, “and we don’t need you here.” Garmadon tried to reach for him, but Lloyd turned away. “Maybe it would’ve been better if you hadn’t come back at all.”

I softly gasped at his words. _He doesn’t mean that,_ I told myself. _Still...that was a little harsh._

I could see the hurt in Garmadon’s eyes at his son’s words. “If… If that’s the way you feel,” he said in a defeated tone. He then turned, his posture slouched with sadness as he headed for the entrance.

_Uh oh!_ I immediately lurched back from the doorway, backtracking into the hallway to remain undiscovered. I waited for a moment, then started slowly walking back towards the bridge, pretending like I’d just come up the stairs. I met a depressed Lord Garmadon at the entrance, and I faked confusion when he spotted me. “What’s wrong, Mr. Lord Garmadon?” I asked him.

He sighed as he stopped, gently putting a hand on my shoulder. “I have to leave,” he told me solemnly. “Please...take care of my son. He needs you.”

Swallowing my emotions, I nodded in assurance. “I will,” I stated confidently.

With that, Lord Garmadon walked past me, disappearing down the stairs.

I wasted no more time, scurrying into the bridge to find Lloyd panicking, pressing random buttons on the computer frantically. “Lloyd? What’s wrong?”

He turned to me as I rushed to his side. I could see unshed tears in his eyes. “M-My dad was stealing from us to gain an advantage,” he explained, unaware that I had seen everything. “I-I told him to leave.”

I immediately hugged him, knowing he needed comfort right now. He buried his face into my neck, and I rubbed his back. My heart ached again at seeing my best friend in this state. “I’m so sorry, Lloyd…”

When his breathing stabilized again, he looked up at me. “P-Please don’t leave me, Rose.”

I shook my head, giving him a reassuring smile. “Like I said before, I will _never_ leave a friend behind. We’re a team, Lloyd.”

That made him smile, nodding in thanks as he calmed down.

“ _Lloyd, Aurora, can anyone hear me?_ ” came Nya’s voice from the radio again.

“The ninja are in trouble!” Lloyd explained to me.

I ran to the controls, pressing any button I thought would work. “How do we answer her?” I asked Lloyd. I wished that I had inquired Nya on all the gadgets up here; I made a note to do that once they returned.

“I don’t know!” Lloyd exclaimed, starting to frantically press buttons with me.

The two of us tried and tried to find the right button, or any way to help. Nya soon stopped talking, which worried me. Had they been discovered? Or caught? Were they fighting right now?

After a few long minutes of nothing working, I grew frustrated, stepping away from the controls. “Ugh, this isn’t working.” I turned to Lloyd, who stopped pressing buttons when I did. “What do we do?”

Lloyd hummed, making a thinking face. I began to think, too, trying to figure out what we needed to do. I felt helpless; what could we do? I needed to be inspired…

Our eyes met, and we both seemed to have the same idea. Slowly, huge grins spread over both of our faces. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked Lloyd, just as he had asked me before following the Serpentine to Ouroboros.

Lloyd nodded. “Oh yeah.”

Together, the two of us scurried from the room, making a beeline for Sensei Wu’s room.

A few minutes later, Lloyd and I both made a spectacular grand entrance back onto the bridge. Except now, we were both fully decked-out in the garb of the legendary Green and Yellow Ninjas. Lloyd posed heroically in his Green Ninja gi, and I posed heroically at his side in my Yellow Ninja gi.

“The Green and Yellow Ninjas are here to save the day!” Lloyd announced triumphantly.

“Woo-hoo!” I cheered, high-fiving my best friend as we both laughed in delight.

The two of us scurried back to the computer, pulling our masks on over our heads as we did. Despite the dire situation, I felt so incredibly cool wearing this ninja gi. I had always found the ninjas amazing from the moment I first saw them, and had even been jealous of how cool they were. Now, I had a chance to be a ninja just like them! It all still felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake from.

Nya’s voice came over the radio again, but it was more muffled and static-y than before. “ _Lloyd? Aurora? Lord Garmadon? Is anyone there?_ ” Relief washed over me at the sound of her voice.

“It’s me and Aurora, Nya!” Lloyd exclaimed as we finally figured out how to answer her. “We’re here. But my dad...left… How are you guys holding up?”

Only static answered us, and I grew worried again. “Nya?” I said into the mic. “Hello?”

There was no response for a moment. A clang sounded, and the static stopped. “ _We’re fine_ ,” Nya’s voice assured us, more clearly this time, “ _but we’re a little...held up at the moment. Our weapons have been taken, and we’re locked in cages._ ”

“Oh no…” I muttered. They’d all been captured?

“ _And Pythor’s returned with the fourth Fangblade_ ,” Cole informed us.

“ _Lloyd, where did your father go?_ ” Zane inquired.

Lloyd sighed. “I-I told him to leave,” he explained to them. “He was trying to steal secrets.”

I put a comforting hand on Lloyd’s back as he grew sad again.

I faintly heard Kai say, “ _Ha! Big surprise there. I told you about that guy, but you guys wouldn’t listen._ ”

“My dad’s going back to where he came from,” Lloyd continued. “But don’t worry! Aurora and I will save you.”

I smiled confidently. “You bet we will!”

“ _You are not ready_ ,” Sensei Wu told us. “ _Your destinies are too great to risk!_ ”

“I _hate to break it to you, Sensei, but if we don’t get out of here before Pythor unleashes the Great Devourer, I think this will be the end of all our destinies_.”

Lloyd looked around, trying to decide what to do. “We’ll get you out of there in a jiff!” he assured the ninja before hanging up. He then ran to the nearby closet and opened it, revealing weapons. The weapons proceeded to fall down on top of him, making him shout in surprise as he crashed to the floor. “Ouch…”

I ran over to him. “Lloyd, are you okay?” I asked as I struggled to lift the weapons off of him.

“Yeah…” he groaned in pain. Once the weapons were off, he shimmied out from underneath them, accepting my hand to heave him back up.

I giggled. “As fun as it would be to run in there with all of these cool weapons,” I stated, “I think they’re all a little too heavy for us right now.”

Lloyd sighed in defeat. “Yeah, you’re right…” He then held a fist up. “But we don’t need them! We’re ninja!”

“Ninja-in- _training_ , Lloyd,” I corrected him. “We don’t even know how to fight.”

“So?” he exclaimed. “We still have to do _something_! Sitting around here’s not gonna help them.”

I sighed, knowing that he was right. It was just...well, the last time me and Lloyd tried to “help” the ninja, both of us ended up being captured by the Serpentine. _It’s us against an army of snakes._ Still...that didn’t change the fact that the ninja needed help. They’d rescued us; it was time for Lloyd and I to return the favor. I nodded, smiling confidently. “We will. Let’s do this!”

“I knew I could count on you!” Lloyd exclaimed joyfully. He grabbed me by the hand, tugging me out the door. “Come on!”

I laughed at his enthusiasm, feeling a little more confident than I had a moment ago.

The two of us scurried out onto the deck and over to where the anchor’s chain was. The anchor itself sat all the way down on the path on the Mountain of a Million Steps, leading up to the mouth at the peak. After sharing a nod of determination, Lloyd and I hopped down onto the chain, sliding down it to the anchor far below. I clung tightly to the chain, scared of the fall at first, but I was finding the descent to be fun before we reached the bottom.

Together, Lloyd and I climbed up the mountain and its many stone steps---living up to its name. We were small, and outmatched, but we were as determined as ever. Lloyd was having fun calling out moves before attempting them, putting the word “ninja” before them.

“Whoosh!” Lloyd animatedly exclaimed as we ran up the steps. “Ninja roll!” He rolled up the hill. “Flying drag--- Oof!” He then tripped, falling face-first onto the stone.

I stopped next to him, giggling. “Ninja face-plant!” I teased.

Lloyd leapt to his feet confidently. “Ninja recover!” He climbed again, and I followed him. We finally arrived inside the mouth at the peak of the mountain, where Lloyd tried out one last ninja move. “Whoosh! Ninja roll!” He then rolled down the pile of dirt, tumbling into the mountain’s entrance clumsily. 

I giggled at him again as I slid down the pile after him. Lloyd never ceased to entertain me, that was for sure. “Come on, ninja smarty-pants,” I told him as I helped him back up on his feet. “Let’s go save our friends.”

Lloyd nodded. “Right!”

He grabbed onto the rope leading down into the hole, and I followed suit, the two of us sliding down it as we descended into the mountain. Once we reached the bottom, there was a tunnel leading toward an entrance. I could hear voices from beyond it---probably the inner sanctum.

The two of us stuck close to one another as we crept down the tunnel, our footsteps as quiet as humanly possible. “Okay, Lloyd,” I whispered. “We need to try and free the ninja without alerting the Serpentine.” After all, like I said before, we didn’t know how to properly fight. If the Serpentine caught us before we rescued the ninja, it was all over.

Lloyd nodded at me in understanding. We both snuck into the huge cavern, peering over the edge of the walkway that spiraled down along the wall into the base. I quickly noted the situation: hundreds of Serpentine were gathered at the bottom, standing around a vat of glowing green stuff that couldn’t be good. It looked like they were having a Slither Pit. Above them, but still below us, was the ninja plus Nya and Sensei Wu, all locked inside a giant hanging cage. Their weapons and the Samurai X suit were tangled in chains beside them.

“Come on, Lloyd,” I heard Lloyd mutter to himself as we stood up. “You’re the Green Ninja. You can do this!”

I put a hand on his shoulder. “You mean _we_ can do this.”

He nodded at me confidently. We turned to the walkway and scurried down it quietly, descending into the cavern. Sure, we were figuring out our plan as we went, but we were confident and determined. I felt like nothing could stop the two of us from completing our mission. I smirked confidently beneath my mask, feeling hyped and ready to save the day.

Until Lloyd tripped on a rock.

As he shouted in surprise, I immediately stopped, trying to grab him before he fell. I was too late, however, and I watched as he tumbled down the rest of the way, loudly groaning at each impact along the way. I winced each time he bounced off the ground. I ran after him, but halted just before reaching the bottom and gasped. My heart sank as Lloyd went rolling into the crowd of Serpentine, finally coming to a stop right in the middle of all of them, groaning in pain. All of the Serpentine immediately went silent, every one of them staring at the small green bundle that had rolled into their midst.

I cringed, already mourning for his dignity. _Oh no… Lloyd, what do you expect me to do now?_ I wanted to run out there and help him, but once again, what could I do against an army of snakes? I felt a sense of deja vu, well aware of the recent events at the Lost City of Ouroboros. Just like that time, I hung back, crouching down and remaining hidden so I could help out another way.

Lloyd heaved himself to his feet. “I _really_ gotta grow into this thing,” he groaned. 

His words rang true: the Green and Yellow Ninja suits had been made for two fully-grown individuals, not two ten-year-old kids. Lloyd and I had had to roll and bunch up the sleeves and legs multiple times before the suits fit us.

Lloyd looked to his right, spotting a familiar face. “Well, if we don’t meet again, Pythor!” he proclaimed confidently. “Unhand the ninja, or suffer humiliation against the Green Ninja!”

I facepalmed. _As much as I would like to see you humiliate him, Lloyd, I don’t think we’re quite at that level yet._ I looked around, searching for a solution to our predicament. _Come on, Aurora, think!_

Pythor wheezed, then began laughing hysterically. All of the Serpentine joined him, cackling and pointing fingers at poor Lloyd standing amidst them. I frowned, worried for Lloyd and angry with the snakes for laughing at him. They obviously didn’t find him to be a threat.

_What should I do…?_ I had to help him. But how?

As if answering me, someone suddenly grabbed my shoulder and tugged me around to face them. I gasped, and was about to scream in terror at being found, but then I saw who had grabbed me: it was Lord Garmadon!

The lord of darkness quietly put a finger to his lips, shushing me and giving me a reassuring smile.

My heart slowly stopped racing, relieved that it was a familiar face. I nodded at him, standing up and giving him an inquiring look. That was when I looked behind him. My eyes widened at the sight before me: there was an entire army of skeletons right behind Lord Garmadon! Freaking skeletons!

_What in the world is going on?!_

“Oh, yeah?” Pythor exclaimed in amusement. “You and what army?”

Lloyd looked around at the Serpentine, suddenly unsure of what to do. “Uh… How about my army of fists?!” he replied, trying to sound confident again. He mimicked ninja moves and punched the air, only to unbalance himself, causing the Serpentine to laugh at him again.

That was when Lord Garmadon spoke out from next to me, his voice ringing across the cave. “Or _this_ army!”

Lloyd whirled around as the Serpentine fell silent, his eyes widening at the sight of us. I stood with my hands on my hips, glaring at the snakes below us. “Dad!”

Lord Garmadon turned to his son. “Lloyd,” he said. “You helped me realize I _do_ have a choice. If there is anyone who is going to threaten Ninjago, it better well be me!”

“The Skeleton Army?” Pythor exclaimed in confusion. “But why would they fight beside you? You betrayed them and Samukai long ago.”

A skeleton general was the one to answer him. “Because _everybody_ hates snakes!”

The Skeleton Army laughed with him, proving his statement. I had to giggle a little, too, relieved that this scary army was on our side. And that me and Lloyd weren’t going to be the Serpentine’s prisoners again.

Enraged, Pythor yelled, “Attack!”

Right after him, the skeleton general shouted, “Attack!” as well. Both armies surged forward, coming together and clashing in an epic battle. I had to smile at the sight.

I broke away from the skeletons and ran over to Lloyd, at his side once again. I quickly dragged him away from the battle and off to the side. “We’re lucky your dad showed up when he did,” I told him.

“And with an army of skeletons!” Lloyd exclaimed. “He may be evil, but he’s awesome.”

I chuckled at his statement. “You said it.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pythor not fighting with his Serpentine. Instead, he grabbed the four Fangblades, then slithered over to a wall and pulled a lever. The cage with our friends in it started descending towards the pit of glowing venom down below.

_Oh no!_ I quickly looked around, and soon spotted the cage’s controls on the other side of a sea of snakes and skeletons. “Lloyd!” I exclaimed, grabbing his arm and pointing to the controls. “Over there!”

Lloyd followed my hand, seeing what I was pointing at. Nodding in understanding, the two of us scurried through the battling snakes and skeletons, making a beeline for the lever that would release the ninja. For once, being small had its advantage; we only barely had to duck beneath the swinging weapons, and weaving around them all was easy. In no time, the two of us reached the cage controls. Together, we grabbed the lever and pulled it.

The bars of the cage slid down, freeing the ninja, Nya, and Sensei Wu. The chains lowered with their weapons, returning them to their rightful owners.

“Told you we’d save you!” Lloyd shouted over to them.

“Go, ninja, go,” I heard Kai say in pride.

They all retrieved their weapons and tech. With a cry of “Ninja, go!” they all joined the fight, the ninja spinning in with their Spinjitzu and Nya running in with her Samurai X suit.

Lloyd and I exchanged a high-five at a job well done. “Hey,” Lloyd said, “you think we’ll be able to do Spinjitzu some day?”

I nodded at him. “Definitely.”

The two of us watched the fighting commence from the safety of the sidelines. Sure, we wanted to help, but we couldn’t do much in the way of fighting yet. We’d probably only get in the way. Plus, it was kind of fun to just watch.

I saw Lord Garmadon and Pythor fighting each other close by. They exchanged blows with their weapons, but then Pythor retreated, slithering away. “So long, sucker!” I heard him exclaim triumphantly. The next moment, the Anacondrai bumped into Cole, gaining his attention along with the rest of the ninja.

“Huh?” Cole said. “Going somewhere?”

Pythor was caught off guard, for once. “Oh, dear.”

Pythor hissed loudly as Cole swiped the four Fangblades from him, pointing his scythe at his long neck, daring him to take them back. The next moment, Pythor suddenly turned invisible, vanishing without a trace.

I snorted. _Huh. Figures._ Still...was he really just going to run like that?

“Where did he go?” Cole asked, looking around.

“Who cares?” Kai stated. “We have the Fangblades. Let’s get out of here!”

Lord Garmadon suddenly appeared, ushering me and Lloyd to follow him. Nodding, Lloyd grabbed my hand, tugging me along as we followed his father and rejoined with the others. The ninja cleared the spiral walkway that led to the top of the mountain using their Spinjitzu, Nya, Sensei Wu, Lord Garmadon, Lloyd, and I all following them closely.

“Don’t worry about us,” I heard one of the skeletons shout after us as we sprinted past. “We’ll keep fighting the good fight!”

“I never thought I’d be saying this, but...” the skeleton general shouted. “Go, ninja, go!”

I smiled, silently sending them all thanks for coming to our aid.

We all scurried out of the mountain and back toward the Bounty. As soon as everyone was on board, the anchor was lifted, and we set sail, leaving the mountain in our dust. Despite many setbacks, we’d accomplished our mission: the four Fangblades were ours.

The Great Devourer would not be unleashed.

. . .

Later on that evening, a party was thrown on the bridge, celebrating our victory against the Serpentine. A disco ball hung from the ceiling, spinning and showering colorful lights all over the room. Fun party music was playing in the background, and the four retrieved Fangblades sat on the table in the middle of the room. We all had cups of some weird drink Cole had whipped up for the occasion---and surprisingly, it wasn’t half bad.

I smiled as I watched the ninja, Nya, and even Sensei Wu dance around in celebration, tapping my foot to the beat of the music. I would be dancing with them, but I was waiting near the door for Lloyd to show up. I knew he was talking to his father again, and I decided to not rudely eavesdrop on the conversation this time.

My face brightened as I saw him finally walk in, but then frowned when I saw his crestfallen expression. I walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong, Lloyd?” I asked.

He gave me a sad look. 

Nya walked over before he could answer. “He left, didn’t he?” she asked Lloyd with a sad smile.

Lloyd nodded his head solemnly. I realized that she was referring to his dad. I rubbed Lloyd’s back to offer him some form of comfort.

Nya handed Lloyd one of the peculiar drinks. “Then have some Snogfruit punch. Cole made it, and it’s actually not that bad.” She then turned to the others, raising her cup in the air. “To Lloyd’s dad!”

Me and the others shouted, “Hear, hear!” as we lifted our cups as well.

Lloyd finally smiled again, raising his cup, too. “To Dad!”

I smiled when he did, glad we were able to cheer him up.

“Tomorrow, we arrive at Torchfire Mountain to destroy these Fangblades once and for all,” Sensei Wu announced. “And it couldn’t have been done without your father. I’m going to miss him.”

Everyone cheered and laughed, taking sips of our drinks together. Lloyd and I exchanged a grin, glad that the day was won. True, we would have to fight his father one day---but for today, we would celebrate him and our victory. Today, because of him, we had won.


	11. Episode 11: Rise of the Great Devourer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short-lived victories are the WORST.
> 
> Or: Pythor's an idiot, part two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season finale time! Wow, I can't believe we're already here at the last two chapters! Thank you everyone who's been reading, commenting, and/or giving kudos! I know I say it too much, but you guys keep me going! And yes, remember that I WILL be doing the other seasons as well! I'm still working on season 2, but I'll probably end up posting the first chapter of that sometime soon, so keep a lookout for that!
> 
> Anyway, onto the story! I'm so excited!!  
> ______________

Early the next day, we all set out for Torchfire Mountain to destroy the Fangblades. The mountain was only a day’s trip away on the Bounty, but we were all still anxious to get there. After all, none of this would truly be over until the Fangblades were disintegrated in the powerful lava of the mountain. Once that was done, then we could truly relax.

At the moment, we were travelling through a violent thunderstorm that was rocking the ship. I dared not venture outside. Strangely, I actually liked thunderstorms; there was something amazing about them, and the sound of rain always calmed me. Sometimes in the past, when I was in a good mood, I would go out and dance in the rain with the other orphans who were brave enough. But since we were so high up in the sky, we were that much closer to all the lightning flashing around us---so staying inside was the best idea.

I sat in the dining room with Kai, Nya, and Jay, munching on a sandwich. Jay had made it for me; he’d been making himself a sandwich and had asked if I wanted one, too. He could be a sweet guy when he wasn’t overreacting. The four Fangblades sat on the table between us, rocking as the ship was moved by the storm’s torrential winds. I was a little unsettled by how powerful the storm was growing, but I reminded myself that I was perfectly safe here. Plus, I was still wearing my Yellow Ninja gi; it made me feel strong, and I honestly never wanted to take it off again.

A question popped into my head. “Why do we have to go to Torchfire Mountain to destroy the Fangblades?”

Kai turned to me. “Because the Fangblades are made from the original teeth of the Devourer,” he explained. “They’re so strong they can only break down in extraordinary heat.”

“You mean stronger than the Fire Temple’s extraordinary heat?” I wondered, still a little haunted by being almost burned alive. _I guess the blade did survive being drowned in the volcano’s lava...unfortunately…_

“Aurora? Could you pass me the salt, please?” Jay asked from next to me.

I nodded, smiling brightly. “Sure!” I went to reach for it, but the ship suddenly jolted as thunder boomed nearby. The salt shaker went sliding down the table, past me, and into Jay’s waiting hand. “Or not…”

“Hey, thanks!” Jay said, ruffling my hair. I swatted him away, giggling.

Cole then opened the door and shambled into the room, swaying with the ship and looking sick. “Please. No one talk about food…” he groaned. The poor guy looked like he was about to throw up. The ship rocked violently again, making him lose his balance and grab onto the door. “How much longer until we get there?”

“Not long,” Jay assured him. Then, he smirked. “Hey, Cole, you’re looking a little green over there. How’d you like to join me and Aurora with a mucous salt sandwich?”

Cole’s face turned greener than Lloyd’s ninja gi. Covering his mouth, he disappeared back out the door, probably to vomit over the side of the ship.

I nudged Jay. “That was mean,” I told him. The sandwiches actually weren’t nearly as bad as they sounded.

Jay laughed in response. “Had to be done.” He turned to Nya and Kai. “Speaking of green, who would’ve guessed little Lloyd Garmadon turned out to be the Green Ninja? I mean, I can see Aurora as the Yellow Ninja.” He ruffled my hair again, making me smile. “But Lloyd as the Green Ninja? Didn’t see that one coming.”

“I know,” Nya agreed. “He was such a brat at first, it’s hard to believe he’s gonna become one of the greatest ninja that ever lived.”

I resisted the urge to frown. _It’s not THAT hard to believe…_ I’d always known Lloyd had a good heart, despite his evil promises and mischievous actions. But I supposed it would be hard for these guys to see that, having mainly known him as the son of Lord Garmadon who was always causing trouble.

Kai cleared his throat loudly. “Where is that little runt?” He turned to me. “Do you know where he is, Aurora? You’re usually with him.”

I nodded. “He said he was gonna do some ‘training.’” I made air quotes with my fingers, smiling in amusement. “That probably means he’s getting beaten up by the punching bag.” Stuffing the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth, I hopped down off the bench, walking to the screen door. “I’d better go save him. Thanks for the sandwich, Jay!”

“No problem!” was Jay’s reply as I left the room.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to venture out into the thunderstorm in order to get to the room with the training equipment. I hummed to an upbeat tune as I walked; it was the music I’d imagined my theme song lyrics going along to. Maybe one day I’d have the full song written.

I rounded a corner, and saw the door to the training room cracked open a little bit. I smirked, deciding to scare Lloyd. Tiptoeing quietly up to the door, I prepared myself to burst in screaming.

That was when I heard a familiar voice---one that was definitely not Lloyd’s.

“What a joke.”

I stiffened at the sinister, accented voice. _Pythor?!_ He was here? How in the world did he get on the ship?! _I knew he was up to something. He wouldn’t just let us take the Fangblades and disappear for good!_ No, unfortunately, we weren’t that lucky.

Taking care to be extra sneaky, I took the last few steps to the open crack in the doorway. I peeked around the corner just enough to see what was happening. My eyes immediately found Lloyd, struggling as he was lifted into the air by some unseen force. I was confused for a moment, but then remembered Pythor’s special ability.

“You always were a boy who chased stupid dreams,” Pythor stated. At the end of his sentence, he turned visible again, smirking evilly down at Lloyd as he held him by the collar of his gi.

“Pythor!” Lloyd gasped in shock. “H-How did you get aboard?!”

Pythor’s eyes narrowed. “You think I would allow the ninja to steal the Fangblades from _me_?”

I growled silently, realizing that my suspicions yesterday had been correct. _Dang, if only I hadn’t dismissed my feelings! Pythor’s probably been here since we left the Mountain of a Million Steps. I did think our victory was a tiny bit too easy, but...I never said anything._

Pythor slithered over to the punching bag, shoving Lloyd up against it then moving behind him.

“You’ll never get away with it!” Lloyd exclaimed as Pythor tied his hands together at the back of the punching bag. He struggled to get free, but had no success.

I gripped the door frame tightly, growing angry with Pythor yet again. _What do I do, what do I do?_ I had to save Lloyd somehow; I wouldn’t let Pythor do this to him.

I looked around frantically, trying to spot something that could help me. That was when I caught sight of a long bo staff lying on the ground in the room, conveniently between me and where Pythor was. Lloyd must’ve been messing around with it earlier, hence why it was on the ground and not on the rack of weapons across the room. I smiled, knowing what I had to do.

Pythor pulled a piece of duct tape out of nowhere and stuck it on Lloyd’s mouth, muffling his outbursts. “Oh, tsk, tsk tsk,” he said. “I wouldn’t worry about that…”

I inhaled deeply, mentally counting myself down and preparing to pounce. _Three… Two… One… Go!_ With a determined cry of “SNAKE ATTACK!!” I burst into the room, grabbed the bo staff, sprung into the air, raised the staff as I went, and then swung it as hard as I possibly could.

A satisfying, mighty _thwack_ rang through the air as the staff hit home. As I landed back on the floor, I was surprised to see Pythor recoiling in pain, comically clutching his nose as he cried out multiple times. _I hit him?_ A wide smile spread across my face. _I hit him! Woo-hoo!_

“Hah!” I exclaimed in delighted surprise as I saw my handiwork. “You just got whacked by the Yellow Ninja!”

My prideful moment was interrupted by Lloyd’s muffled shouting, reminding me that he was still in trouble. I darted for him, but Pythor recovered too quickly, slithering right for me with an angry growl. I stopped, and in a moment of bravery, I swung the bo staff at him again, confident that it would hit him again.

It didn’t. He was ready this time, so as the staff swung toward him, he easily caught the other end of it with one hand. My smile vanished, and a smirk appeared on his face again. I tugged the staff a little bit, only to find that he was strongly gripping it, and wasn’t letting go.

_Oh crap._

He smirked down at me, and I could see the fury in his glowing magenta eyes. “Trying to rescue Lloyd again, are we, Aurora?”

I blinked, trying to not appear scared. “Well, I-I thought that was kinda obvious…” was my nervous response.

Before I could even think or move, Pythor lifted me with the other end of the staff and spun in a half circle, violently swinging me around and sending me flying across the room as I was forced to let go. He moved so unbelievably fast that I had no time to react or try and save myself. I yelled as I flew, only to be cut short as I collided with the rack of training weapons on the wall. I landed face-down on the floor, groaning in pain. There was a snap, and I didn’t have time to get away before the rack of weapons crumpled, sending its heavy contents crashing down on top of me. I yelped in pain as I was buried beneath their crushing weight.

My body was filled with sharp pains, and my head spun as I lay trapped beneath the weapons, the wind knocked from me. _This hurts so badly,_ I thought pointlessly. _I… I can’t get out…_

I heard panicked, muffled screaming from Lloyd, having witnessed all of this. I couldn’t really see what was going on, being buried under weapons and all. 

I heard Pythor laugh maliciously. “So much for being a hero!” He seemed to find my pain hilarious. “Well, I’m afraid I must be taking my leave. As they say, out of sight, out of mind.” I heard him slither away, shutting the door as he left the room.

I mentally cursed him. _Stupid, overgrown piece of snake dung…_ _I’d like to shove_ him _into a rack of weapons._

The only sound was Lloyd’s struggling and muffled shouting, trying to either speak to me or call for help. The ninja had no idea that Pythor was here---and the snake wanted to keep it that way. If he stole the Fangblades back from us… I didn’t even want to think of what would happen.

That thought motivated me to try and escape my predicament. I tried moving, but my body ached in protest, and I groaned involuntarily. These training weapons were all blunt, thankfully, but they were still _really_ heavy. Unfortunately, they’d all landed on me in a way that I wouldn’t be able to get out from beneath them without a little help---or a _lot_ of energy I no longer had.

_I hate being small sometimes…_

The boat stopped rocking, and thunder stopped crashing, informing me that we’d moved out of the storm. It wouldn’t be long before we reached the mountain now. _The ninja...have to be warned…_

Lloyd was struggling the entire time, desperately trying to get himself free. Eventually, after a great effort, I heard his feet hit the floor. I then heard him scurry over to where the door was, probably going for the intercom. The next moment, his voice sounded over the PA system.

“ _Pythor’s on board!_ ”

I breathed a sigh of relief. _Well, the ninja know now. It’s up to them._

It didn’t take long for Lloyd the come scurrying over to where I was buried under the pile of weapons. Somehow, he’d escaped his bonds. “Aurora!” he exclaimed, frantically using all his strength to shove the weapons off me. He was a little bit stronger than I was. “Oh no! Aurora! Please be okay!”

The crushing weight was slowly lifted, and I felt like I could truly breathe again. I looked up as Lloyd grabbed me, helping me sit up on the floor. My whole body still ached, but it was a lot better now that I wasn’t being crushed. I groaned again.

“Are you okay?” Lloyd asked me, worry written all over his face.

I gave him a reassuring smile. “It takes more than that to snuff me out,” I stated confidently. Lloyd took my hand and helped me stand up. “Thanks,” I told him. My body ached again, and I couldn’t help but hiss in pain.

Lloyd grabbed me. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Just...sore.” I looked back at the pile of weapons, feeling disdain for them. “That hurt really bad… But no time to worry about that now.” I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain for now. “We have to help the ninja.”

Lloyd nodded. “Let’s go!” Before leaving, he and I both picked up a bo staff to take with us.

The two of us scurried out onto the deck. I was shocked by what we found: not only was Pythor once again holding all of the Fangblades, but the four ninja plus Sensei Wu were all dangling in a line from a plank on the side of the ship. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would’ve facepalmed.

Pythor chuckled at the ninja. “Sorry if I don’t lend a hand,” he said, “but I’m really in a rush. Got this whole Devourer thing going on.” He let out a sinister laugh. “Toodaloo!”

He turned around, only to find me and Lloyd standing with our hands on our hips, blocking his path. “Where do you think you’re going?” Lloyd asked him.

Pythor scowled. “A little cliche, don’t you think?”

I scoffed. “Cliche is how all the greats do it!”

Lloyd was confused. “Uh...cliche?”

Pythor shook his head. “Oh, I wouldn’t expect a child to understand…”

“H-Hey!” Lloyd protested. “I’ve grown up a lot!”

I couldn’t resist snickering. “Yes, but… Have you matured?”

He gave me a dumbfounded look. “Who’s side are you on?”

“Yours,” I replied simply as we both pulled on our masks.

Together, we leapt to attack Pythor. Unfortunately, even while holding the Fangblades close, he was still hard to fight. I wasn’t lucky like earlier, when I’d caught him off guard. He was easily able to slither away from our attacks, even with both me and Lloyd attacking at once.

“Hmm,” Pythor hummed boredly. “Puny strength, no fundamentals, sloppy footwork.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed, swinging my staff and trying to hit him again. “I think we’re pretty decent for two kids who have had zero training!”

Pythor smirked in amusement. “You two think you can defeat _me_?”

Lloyd and I stopped, spotting something behind Pythor that made us both smile. “Oh, we’re not trying to defeat you,” I told him.

“We’re just trying to keep you busy until the cavalry arrives,” Lloyd stated, pointing behind Pythor.

The Anacondrai turned around just in time to see Nya in her Samurai X suit landing behind him. At the sight of her, Pythor actually looked _scared_ , whimpering and trembling in fear as she approached him. I laughed at the sight.

Seeing an opening, I nudged my best friend. “Lloyd, go for it, now!” I whispered to him.

Needing no further encouragement, Lloyd leapt into the air. “Hiyah!” He kicked Pythor in the face, making the snake stumble back. I fist-pumped.

Lloyd laughed in amazement when he landed. “I hit him!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “I hit him, guys!”

I had to laugh at his enthusiasm. “That’s one point for both of us,” I said as I ran back to his side.

Nya stomped towards Pythor, who was still quivering in fear. She leaned down and tried to grab him, but he slithered out of the way. She kept turning in her exo-suit, trying to grab him as he slithered around the deck. Pythor made his way to the side opposite of the volcano. “Oh, as much as I would like to play with your overgrown toys, I have a ride to catch!” he exclaimed, slithering onto the guardrail and off of the ship.

“No!” Lloyd and I shouted as we ran over to the edge with Nya. 

We saw Pythor safely land on a Serpentine transformed helicopter. “So long, suckers!” he yelled at us triumphantly as he was carried away, laughing maniacally with all the Fangblades in tow.

Lloyd groaned, and I sighed. “Dang it…”

Pythor had all four Fangblades again. What could stop him from unleashing the Great Devourer now?

That was when we heard a chorus of terrified screams. We whirled around to see that Kai had lost his grip, and he plus the other ninja and Sensei Wu were all falling down into the volcano. Nya leapt into action, diving down like a rocket. Her exo-suit flew through the air, flying beneath the ninja and Sensei and catching them all as they fell into her arms. Their screaming stopped, and I breathed a sigh of relief that they were all okay.

“Come on!” Nya exclaimed as she landed back on the Bounty, setting everybody down. “He’s getting away!”

The ninja ran up behind me and Lloyd, who were both holding onto the railing, watching the snake helicopter fly away. “Look, there!” Jay exclaimed, pointing at the rapidly escaping figure.

“What do we do now?” Zane inquired.

“We must stop them,” Sensei Wu stated.

Everyone leapt into action. Lloyd and I were sent to retrieve the ninja’s Golden Weapons. It took both of us to lift the long, heavy case that they were all in. We struggled to keep it up with our little arms, but we managed. We eventually arrived back outside with it. The two of us took one look at the steep stairs before us, exchanged a decisive glance, then tossed the case of weapons down it. Sure, it was a rough fall and not the proper way to treat weapons, but carrying that heavy thing down the stairs was not an option.

Sensei spoke to everyone from atop his seat on Samurai X’s shoulder. “If Pythor returns the Fangblades to the city of Ouroboros, he’ll awaken the Great Devourer.”

“Well, we’re not gonna let that happen,” Nya stated in determination. Everyone felt the same way.

Lloyd and I hurried down the stairs. “What about me and Aurora?” he asked his uncle.

“What can we do?” I asked, hoping there was a way we could help. I had a small hope that they’d let us come with them, but I didn’t see it happening.

“We need someone to stay with the Bounty,” Kai told us, already dashing my hopes.

Lloyd immediately protested. “But did you see me kick him in the face?” he exclaimed proudly. “And you didn’t even see Aurora earlier! She whacked him really hard in the nose with a staff! It was totally awesome.”

I blushed shyly at the praise. “Aw, stop…” Really, it was no big deal. It hadn’t been _that_ amazing.

...Okay, yes it was.

Lloyd grinned, throwing an arm around my shoulder. “We’re assets! We kick butt and face!”

I giggled at his choice of words.

Kai smiled at us in amusement. “Patience, kids,” he told us. “The two of you are too important now that you’re the chosen ones.”

“Patience, hm?” Sensei Wu echoed, smiling fondly down at Kai. “Ah, the student has become the teacher.”

I opened up the case of weapons for the ninja.

“What do you say we play a little catch-up?” Jay proclaimed, smirking in determination.

“It’s my favorite game!” Cole exclaimed as the four of them all grabbed their Golden Weapons.

The ninja ran for the edge of the ship, shouting “Ninja, go!” Twirling into their tornadoes of Spinjitzu, one by one they each hopped off the ship, transforming their weapons into vehicles as they fell. I could hear them whooping in delight as they zoomed away, bringing a smile to my face. Nya blasted off after them, Sensei Wu perched on her suit’s shoulder.

I heard Lloyd sigh, and turned to see his gloomy face. I put a hand on his shoulder, smiling. “Hey,” I told him. “Cheer up. Someday, we’ll get to fight with them. And there’ll be plenty more amazing moments where that came from.” Sure, I was disappointed too that we still were being left behind. But I understood why, and accepted it. Lloyd and I had to wait for a different fight---this battle wasn’t ours.

Lloyd smiled, nodding. “Yeah. We’re gonna kick major butt someday.”

I laughed at his answer. “We’ll be the best butt-kickers around!”

The two of us shared a snicker at all of our uses of the word “butt.” Now that Lloyd was cheered up, we had a job to do. “Come on,” I told him. “Time to assume command!” I took his hand, dragging him for a change as we made our way up to the bridge of the Destiny’s Bounty.

“B-But I don’t know how to fly the ship!” Lloyd told me.

“Then it’s time you learned!” I replied confidently. I thanked myself for remembering to ask Nya to give me a basic rundown on all the tech on the bridge---including how to fly the Bounty.

We scurried up to the bridge. I beelined for the steering wheel as soon as we arrived, mentally checking off everything Nya told me to do. I mumbled incomprehensibly to myself as I did, while Lloyd watched in fascination. Finally, when everything was ready, I reached up to take hold of the wheel. Annoyingly, I had to stand up on my tiptoes to clearly see over the wheel and out the window, but I had no time to find something to stand on. Taking a deep breath, I set the ship in motion, mentally encouraging myself all the way. _You can do this, Aurora!_

“How do you know how to fly the ship?” Lloyd asked me, half curious and half shocked that I was actually flying the Bounty away from Torchfire Mountain.

“Because I asked Nya to show me how,” I informed him proudly.

Slowly, I guided the bow of the ship to point toward where the ninja had gone to pursue Pythor. It was a straight road to Ouroboros, so thankfully my path was clear. I moved the ship towards it, going slowly at first, then gradually picking up speed. I wobbled the steering a few times, and it took me a while to turn the ship--the wheel was kind of heavy--but eventually it was smooth sailing.

I grinned in delight. “Huh, would you look at that. I’m actually flying a flying ship.”

“We’ll catch up with them in no time!” Lloyd exclaimed, impressed by my flying.

I drove the ship for a little bit, going as fast as I felt comfortable with. I was still incredibly nervous, but I was getting used to it, and my fears gradually became forgettable. After several long minutes, I looked over at Lloyd. “You wanna try it?” I asked him.

Lloyd nodded eagerly. “Yeah!”

“Okay.” As I stepped aside, Lloyd grabbed the handles of the wheel where my hands had been. “Just keep her steady,” I instructed softly as I saw him frown from nerves. “All you have to do is fly straight. She’ll drift left and right from time to time, but you just have to gently steer her back on---”

I finished my sentence with a startled scream as Lloyd violently jerked the Bounty to the right, sending me toppling off my feet. Lloyd cried out in terror, yanking the wheel left to try and straighten the ship’s path again. It went careening off to the left this time, and I was sent tumbling onto the left side of the ship before I could brace myself, screaming again. Lloyd started screaming, too, trying desperately to steady the ship again. His attempts resulted in him jerking the wheel left and right, still travelling forward, but violently zigzagging in the sky.

I finally managed to stand up, grabbing onto the wall to keep myself standing. “Lloyd!” I shouted in admonishment. “What are you doing?!”

“I don’t know!” was his yell of reply. 

Alarms started beeping from the computer console, warning us of the ship’s instability and how close we were to hitting the tall rock formations on the side of the road. “Look out!” I screamed over the alarm as Lloyd swerved around them, narrowly missing them. “Don’t hit the--- Aaaaah!” I cut myself off again as Lloyd literally almost crashed the Bounty head-on.

“I’m trying!” Lloyd screeched.

I made my way back over to him on wobbly legs. “Just let me take the wheel again!”

He shook his head. “No! I got this!”

“You’re _this_ close to crashing the Bounty!” I exclaimed. “What part of this do you got?”

“I can do this, Aurora!” Lloyd insisted, giving me a pleading look.

I sighed, unable to argue with him any longer. If he really wanted to still try, I had to let him try. Besides, I wanted him to succeed. “Okay,” I said, wobbling on my feet as he jerked the ship again. “Let me help you.”

He nodded, moving to the side a little as I approached him. I put my hands over his, quickly guiding the wheel to fly straight. The Bounty stopped violently swerving, and soon it was calmly flying straight again. The alarm stopped as the ship stabilized.

Lloyd and I were silent for a moment, both letting out sighs of relief as the crisis was averted. We then locked eyes, and couldn’t help but grin like idiots. Slowly, we both began giggling, and then we were full-out laughing like crazy. Apparently, we both found our most recent near-brush with death incredibly hilarious.

“See?” I told him when we finally calmed down, slowly letting go of his hands and letting him assume full control. “Nothing to it.”

Lloyd smiled, chuckling sheepishly. “Thanks, Rose. Sorry for freaking out…”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

Even after the moment was over, I didn’t let go of his shoulder. He never said anything about it.

Eventually (after reassuring Lloyd that it was okay to go faster, once he got the hang of it) we caught up with the ninja. They were on what looked like a long, transformed snake tour bus with multiple cars. Nya was sitting on it with them; it was fully stopped in the road. The front of the smoking vehicle had broken away, and was heading straight for an all-too-familiar city in the distance, heading off the paved road.

Lloyd gasped as he drove. “The lost city of Ouroboros,” he stated when we spotted it.

I nodded. “I was kind of hoping that we would never see that place again…”

“We have to hurry,” Lloyd stated.

I snapped my fingers when I remembered something. “We can use the boosters!” I ran over and pressed a small red button. It activated the engine’s overdrive boost, making us zoom forward at a greater speed.

“Aurora, I’ve got an idea!” Lloyd announced as we grew closer to where the ninja were. “Drop the anchor!”

I made a confused face at his request, but I trusted him, so… “Okay!” I pressed another button, making the anchor drop down below on its long chain. I walked back over next to Lloyd to see what he was doing.

He brought the ship in lower, bringing the lowered anchor to be level with the tour bus cars. I grinned as I realized what he had in mind. He aimed the anchor, making it head straight for the center of the vehicle as we rapidly approached. It slammed into the side of the window, successfully attaching and lifting the whole thing upward.

We heard the ninja all cry out our names in delighted surprise. “Lloyd! Aurora!”

Lloyd and I smiled, exchanging a high-five. “Hook, line, and sinker!” Lloyd exclaimed in triumph.

“Nice one, Lloyd!” I praised him for his idea.

Kai pointed onward. “To Ouroboros as fast as you can!”

“Aye aye, captain!” Lloyd and I replied, mock-saluting down at him.

The Bounty lifted the whole vehicle off the ground. Lloyd steered it and hit the gas once more, heading straight for the lost city, carrying the cars full of ninja and Samurai below us. Lloyd gunned the ship as fast as he could, but it was a little slower with the added weight. I briefly wondered where Sensei Wu was.

The sky had darkened by the time we arrived at Ouroboros. It was as if a storm was rolling in---but something told me that didn’t mean another thunderstorm. Something terrible was about to happen.

“Okay, you two,” Kai called up to us. “Put us down right after that truck.” He pointed to the overturned front of the tour bus, where I assumed Pythor had been earlier.

As soon as we put them down, the ninja and Nya all leapt off the tour truck and sprinted into the city. As soon as he’d brought the Bounty to a stop, Lloyd grabbed me by the hand and yanked me after him as he ran out of the bridge. We both scurried over to the anchor and slid down the chain just as we had yesterday, pulling our masks over our faces as we went.

“Wait for us, guys!” Lloyd shouted after the retreating ninja.

We both hopped down off the chain and ran across the bus cars as fast as we could, eventually reaching the end and then jumping down onto the sandy ground. Together we scurried to catch up with the ninja and Nya, eventually reaching the back of their group. Once again, we were entering the lost city of Ouroboros---but this time, it was with our friends. Dare I even say, our family.

So why did I still feel unsafe?

In the distance, I could see the statue of the Great Devourer where it stood in the arena at the center of the city. The thing was glowing, and there was green venom dripping down from its fangs. I gulped, taking that to mean only one thing: Pythor was unleashing the Devourer right now. I soon saw the whole statue shake and crumble, and I ran faster, hoping against hope that we wouldn’t be too late.

We finally arrived at the center of the city, only to find a horrifying sight. The Great Devourer statue was in shambles on the ground. The ground itself, well...it was crumbling, revealing a gaping black maw beneath it. The whole place shook, and in the dark pit below I saw a pair of massive, glowing red eyes.

_No…_ It couldn’t be! _It’s...so big!_

We all halted next to a statue, spotting Sensei Wu standing with a trembling, terrified Pythor at the other end of the arena. He seemed to be restraining Pythor, keeping the Serpentine king in place as the ground vanished before them.

“What’s going on?” Kai exclaimed. “Who’s that creature underground?”

I gulped. “I-I have a few ideas...and none of them are good,” I squeaked out.

Sensei Wu turned to us. “You must do everything in your power to stop the Great Devourer!” he informed us desperately. It almost sounded as if he... “Go, ninja! Go!”

“No,” I heard Kai mutter in disbelief. “Sensei...”

Sensei Wu responded with a decisive, heavy nod of his head.

The ground shook even more. Suddenly, something erupted from the dark pit below the arena, sending rocks flying everywhere. A long, scaled body swerved up, up, up from the depths as thunder crashed in the dark sky above. The scales were a dark, sickly green, and its eyes glowed like Pythor’s did---except far creepier. Its fangs were as long as I was tall, and it towered up into the air, rising higher and higher with no end in sight. My eyes were as wide as they would open as I craned my little neck to stare up at the beast in utter shock, terror, and disbelief.

The Great Devourer.

Yep. Pythor was an idiot.

Lloyd and I instinctively grabbed onto each other, huddling close as we could do nothing but watch the great snake rise, frozen in terror. _This can’t be happening,_ I thought, trying to convince myself. _We weren’t too late! We were about to stop this!_

The Great Devourer spotted Sensei Wu and Pythor standing on the ground before it. Its eyes narrowed, and it let out a low, menacing hiss. For a moment, it did nothing.

Then, it opened its wide, gaping mouth, and striked.


	12. Episode 12: Day of the Great Devourer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you stop a snake that consumes everything in its path? Answer: with ninja, a dragon, and an unlikely ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at the last chapter already! Woo-hoo! Thank you all for coming on this journey with me. I've gotta tell you, I'm VERY excited for this one! Enjoy!  
> ____________

I’d never felt so helpless in my life as I watched the events fold out in front of me.

The Great Devourer let out a loud, terrifying roar as it striked. Its giant head charged downward, and before I knew it, it had devoured Sensei Wu and Pythor in one swift gulp.

“Sensei!”  
  


“No!”

I stood there with my mouth agape, hardly able to believe what had just happened. But, there it was, reality smacking me in the face. _He… He can’t be gone! He just can’t!_

Before I had time to get over my shock, Nya was picking up me and Lloyd in the hands of her exo-suit. She rocketed into the air, quickly taking us out of harm's way and back up to the Destiny’s Bounty. I realized with a jolt that the Great Devourer would be coming for us next, if we didn’t hurry.

“We have to get out of here!” Nya exclaimed, frantically landing her exo-suit and putting the two of us down. She didn’t even bother taking off her Samurai armor, instead heading straight up to the bridge when she hopped out of the suit. Lloyd and I followed close behind her.

Nya immediately leapt into action, starting the ship up again and landing it so that the ninja could come aboard when they arrived. Lloyd fearfully peered out the window, perching on a barrel and watching the giant snake approach us. I scurried around, trying to help Nya however I could.

“Fire up the engines!” she told me.

I looked at the console and shook my head. “There’s no wind!” I informed her. “And we only have reserve fuel!”

“Use it!” she ordered.

I nodded, frantically firing up the engines again. I hoped that we would be able to escape with what little fuel we had left. As the ship thundered to life, the ninja all tumbled into the bridge. Jay rolled in last, landing on his feet next to the computer monitor, which had a live feed of the Great Devourer slithering straight for us.

“Uh, hate to tell you this, but objects in the mirror are closer than they appear!” he shouted, freaking out.

“Working on it,” Nya replied from the wheel. “Blasters on full.”

Kai was perched where Lloyd was earlier, looking out the window. Lloyd and I were keeping watch over the engines and fuel, Cole and Zane closeby.

Terror erupted in my stomach as the Great Devourer grew ever closer. Then, to my great relief, the Bounty rocketed off the ground just in time, narrowly missing the Great Devourer’s strike and flying into the sky.

“Woo-hoo!” Kai cheered as he hopped off the barrel. “Take that, you stupid snake!”

A moment after his cheering, the Great Devourer suddenly erupted from the ground right in front of us, roaring in rage.

“Uh, I think it heard you!” Jay exclaimed.

Nya yanked the ship to the right at the last moment, missing the Great Devourer’s strike again. The snake didn’t give up, however, and kept slithering after us. You’d think that such a big snake would be super slow, but nope---he was slithering faster than I’d thought to be possible, actually travelling at the same speed as the Bounty was flying.

“Nya, we gotta go faster,” Kai urged his sister. “That thing is gaining on us!”

“We’re going as fast as we can!” Nya informed him. “I’ll try to make it to Scattered Canyon.”

Zane offered his calculation. “Probability of us making it that far is less than eight percent!”

“ _Never_ tell me the odds!”

“It’s coming in for another attack!” Cole announced from where we stood at the consoles. “Port side!”

Nya swerved the ship to the right again, dodging the Devourer’s strike once more. But how long could she keep it up?

Lloyd looked up from his screen. “We’re losing speed,” he told Nya. “We’ll drop to the ground pretty soon!”

“Throw everything overboard!” Nya ordered.

Everyone responded with a surprised “What?!”

“We need to lose some weight!” she explained.

I realized her wisdom. “She’s right!” I said. “The less we have on board, the faster we can move!”

“Port side!” Lloyd shouted, warning Nya of another oncoming attack. This time, she wasn’t quick enough, and the Great Devourer ate half of one of the rocket boosters propelling the ship.

All the ninja ran out of the bridge, throwing everything overboard that wasn’t important. I saw the trail of stuff they left in our wake, and was sad for a moment to see everything go. But if we didn’t do this, then the Great Devourer would catch us for sure. On the screen, the power to the engines increased as we lost weight, allowing us to move faster.

Unfortunately, I saw the Great Devourer eating everything that the ninja threw overboard. When it did, it seemed to grow larger and larger… _Uh oh._ Cole eventually noticed this, and stopped everyone from throwing things overboard.

Nya breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew. We made it to Scattered Canyon. Hold on!”

Nya swiftly maneuvered the Bounty through the maze-like canyon, dodging and weaving as she tried to lose the Great Devourer. I heard its ferocious roars as it chased us, and I prayed that we would be able to escape it. Then, after a few tense moments, it was silent. The scanners stopped detecting the giant snake. I went to look out the window with Cole, and we saw no sign of it. It was as if the Great Devourer had simply vanished.

I let out a breath I hadn’t even known I was holding. “We lost him!” I thanked whoever was watching over us today.

I needed to learn not to speak too soon. Out of nowhere, the Great Devourer reappeared right in front of us. It swooped down from above, taking us by surprise. It slithered underneath us, using the huge talon at the end of its tail to tear right into the ship, damaging it severely and making it spiral out of control. Everyone fell to the floor as the ship violently jolted sideways, the warning alarms beeping louder than ever before. Cole grabbed me in his arms to break most of my fall as I yelped in shock.

“Abandon ship!” Nya yelled.

We were all tossed around more and more as the ship plummeted toward the ground. It descended toward the sand at a rapid speed. Zane dodged the computer screen falling off the wall, and Jay was thrown out a window. Cole still held onto me, and I clung to him, the impending impact filling me with terror. He picked me up and scurried out of the bridge with me as everyone abandoned the ship. Nya carried Lloyd off in her exo-suit, Cole carried me, and the rest of the ninja all leapt off safely. The ninja summoned their vehicles using their Golden Weapons, hurrying away from the ship as it finally crashed to the ground.

We all stopped next to it, everyone already grieving for the Destiny’s Bounty as it lay still on the sand. It was our home---to see it defeated and grounded like this was greatly saddening.

We didn’t have long to mourn as the Great Devourer burst from beneath the ground with a roar, reaching to grab the ship in its gaping mouth. Everyone turned tail and fled, fleeing several hundred feet away. Only when we were in the shelter of a rocky overhang nearby did the ninja make their vehicles vanish, and Nya landed. Cole and I hopped out of his vehicle before it vanished, and we all turned to watch the Great Devourer lift our ship into the air.

It tossed the Destiny’s Bounty up into the air like it weighed nothing. It caught the ship in its open mouth, then snapped it in two with one powerful bite.

Everyone screamed in distress. “No!”

Then, the Great Devourer slithered back beneath the sand, vanishing underground. I waited for it to come back--expected it--but thankfully, it didn’t reappear.

I stared out at where the remains of the Destiny’s Bounty were, scattered in the sand. I felt my eyes grow watery, and I tried to not let tears fall. That ship had been my first real home...and now it was destroyed. It seemed like only yesterday that I’d been brought aboard for the first time with Lloyd, when the Bounty had become our home…

I heard somebody walk up next to me, and I turned to see Lloyd. Somehow, I could tell that he was thinking much the same thing I was. Seeing the tears in my eyes, he hugged me tightly, and I returned the embrace just as hard. I buried my face into his shoulder, banishing my tears away. _Now’s not the time,_ I told myself.

“It’s gone,” Cole announced, after the Great Devourer didn’t reappear. Lloyd and I pulled away at his voice.

Kai breathed a sigh of relief and fatigue, pulling off his mask. “That was too intense. All that action...makes you so thirsty...”

“There’s no time to rest,” Zane stated, standing up. “We need to warn people before it becomes bigger.”

“Bigger?” Jay echoed loudly, exasperated. He leapt to his feet, yanking off his mask. “Bigger?! That thing in one big bite just crushed our _entire ship_!” He started pacing around. “We need to save as many as we can. Uh, uh, we’ll find some kind of refuge, somewhere safe to hide… Oooh! The Serpentine tombs! Yeah, they’re underground, sure. We’ll be without sunlight for months, but they’re perfect!”

“And what?” Cole exclaimed. “Just give up?”

Jay frowned. “You know as well as I do, we have no chance at stopping that thing!”

Kai walked between them. “Hey, stop it! Listen to yourselves. Is this what Sensei Wu would’ve wanted? Us fighting? Running and hiding? Giving up?”

“But...he’s not here anymore…” Lloyd pointed out, quietly, painfully.

Everyone went quiet, hanging their heads in grief. Lloyd pulled off his mask, and I saw his heartbroken expression at losing his uncle. I pulled my mask off, too, and put my arm around him, trying to offer what comfort I could as I held back my tears again. Sensei Wu had taken me in, allowed me to stay, even though I had run away from my orphanage. Heck, he had even been becoming like the wise old grandfather I never had… Why did he have to die?

Kai spoke again. “But his teachings live on,” he stated, addressing us all. “Sensei once told me it’s not the size of a ninja in a fight, but the size of the fight in the ninja. All this training, all of these battles we’ve had with skeletons and the Serpentine. We’ve persevered through so much, we can’t just give up now! A ninja never admits defeat. A ninja always picks himself up when he is down.”

Slowly, my frown turned into a smile. I looked at Kai in admiration, my heart lifted by his words of inspiration. _He’s right,_ I realized. _We can’t just give up, no matter how much we want to. A ninja never quits._

Kai put his arms around Jay and Cole. “Which is exactly what Sensei Wu would want us to do right now.”

“But how do we destroy a snake of that magnitude?” Zane inquired from where he stood next to me and Lloyd.

“Yeah!” Jay agreed, going on a rant again. “It’s not like we have an extra Sacred Flute lying around to charm it. Or, wait, haha! How about one of our awesome dragons? Oh, I forgot! They took off and left us high and dry. Or hey, what about our Golden Weapons? Which will do _nothing_ against a snake that size!” He laughed in exasperation, slumping to the ground. “Oh, we are so hooped!”

_The ninja had dragons?_ That had to have been pretty amazing! _I want a dragon…_

Cole nodded. “Jay’s right. We would need a weapon so big…”

Kai gasped in realization. “Or an idea that’s even bigger!” He jumped for joy. “Ha! Jay, you’re a genius! You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Probably not, but go ahead,” Jay replied from the ground, looking very done with all of this.

Kai started walking away in excitement. “There’s no time,” he replied. “I’ll fill you guys in on the way!”

I stared after him, confused. “Uh, Kai? Where are we going?”

He whirled around, giving me a large, determined grin. “We’re going to destroy that snake once and for all!”

. . .

Together, the seven of us travelled across the desert, heading for the junkyard that Jay’s parents called home. I rode on the back of Kai’s motorcycle, while Lloyd was carried by Nya in her exo-suit. She could carry me, too, but it was difficult for her to carry more than one person at a time.

I grew nervous at this whole ordeal. “You really have a plan that’ll work?” I asked Kai.

Kai glanced back at me, then looked ahead again. “I’m not sure if it’ll work yet, but I have a good feeling that it will,” he assured me. “It has to. We at least have to try.”

I nodded. “We will,” I replied. Despite my immense fears of the giant Great Devourer, I knew that we had to fight. I grew determined to help in any way I could. No matter what happened, I had to have hope. We would defeat this threat; I knew we would!

A few minutes later, we were approaching the junkyard. Memories of the last time I was here filled my mind. Back then, Lloyd had brought the Fangpyre tribe to get vehicles for their army and fight the ninja, and dragged me along for the ride. That seemed like a lifetime away now. I didn’t fondly remember that experience, but I smiled at how far we’d both come since then. We were now two ninja that were part of a prophecy---something that I never would’ve even dreamt of back then.

Everyone gathered inside the junkyard, dismissing their vehicles. Lloyd came running over as Nya set him down, standing next to me.

“Good idea, Kai,” Cole said. “If the Great Devourer likes to consume, this place is a full-on buffet.”

Jay walked over to the trailer and knocked on the door. After receiving no response, he sighed. “Looks like my parents are gone,” he announced.

“Good,” Kai replied. “Better for us.” He walked over to the hood of a broken car, setting down a rolled-up blueprint. It unraveled across the hood, exposing some sort of weapon vehicle blueprint. I didn’t get a good chance to look at it, however, as the ninja and Nya all crowded around it.

“It’s so awesome!” Jay exclaimed.

“Zane, you still have a recording of the Sacred Flute in your memory bank?” Kai asked the nindroid.

Lloyd and I tried to see over the ninja’s shoulders, standing on our tippy toes and even jumping to try and get a better look. It was kind of frustrating.

Zane nodded. “It might’ve been destroyed earlier, but I have its exact tone recorded and ready for playback.” He opened a panel on his arm, pressing a button. A recording of the flute’s pleasant song played.

Lloyd smirked, like he had an idea. He waved me over, crouching down. I looked at him confused, and he gestured for me to climb onto his shoulders. I wasn’t too confident in the idea, but if he wanted to try it, then I was game. Grabbing his shoulders, I hopped up onto them. Lloyd stood up as I tried to balance, but it was super wobbly. It was hard for Lloyd to hold my weight. I caught sight of the blueprint the ninja were looking at, but I only got to study it for a few seconds before Lloyd collapsed underneath me, sending us both comedically crashing to the ground. 

I groaned in pain as my full-body aches from earlier were reignited; we’d all been in such a hurry that I’d forgotten about the pain this entire time. I was pretty sure I had bruises from all those heavy weapons falling on me...

“Good,” Kai said, “and there should be enough spare parts around here to build this whopper. But we’re gonna need to create our biggest Tornado of Creation yet. This is gonna be dangerous, and we can’t have anyone around.”

Just then, we all heard the ring of a bike bell and a man’s busy whistling. We all turned to see a mailman, leisurely riding his bike into the junkyard. Lloyd helped me to my feet as the mailman approached.

Cole grunted. “Ugh. What’s he doing here?”

Kai and Jay ran ahead, greeting him at the entrance. The rest of us watched from where we were. Kai had removed his blueprint from the car’s hood, so Lloyd and I went to sit on top of it just for kicks.

“Aah!” the mailman cried as we suddenly appeared. “You ninja are always sneaking around, giving people heart attacks. You’re too quiet.”

I gawked at him. “That’s… That’s literally what being a ninja means,” I muttered to myself. Lloyd heard me and snickered.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” Kai apologized. “But you need to get out of here, now.”

The mailman rummaged in his bag. “Uh, well, now, I too have a job, and that’s delivering the mail, which I plan to do.” He pulled out an envelope and walked over to Kai and Jay.

“Look, dude, my parents aren’t even here,” Jay informed him, swiping the letter from his hand. “You really should be on your way.”

“What, them too?” the mailman said. “Uh, let me guess. Are they at the Take Back Ninjago rally, too?”

Jay frowned. “Uh… Take Back Ninjago rally?”

“What, you guys haven’t heard?” the mailman replied. “Everyone’s getting together for a rally in the city. You know, to raise awareness about all the Serpentine problems that have been surfacing lately.”

A smile appeared on my face at his words. “Whoa,” I gasped. “That’s so cool!”

“Would you look at that,” Lloyd said to him. “You guys are inspirational!”

The mailman frowned as he seemed to realize something. “Wait a minute,” he said, grabbing his bike and backing away. “You know what? You guys are right. Wherever you guys are, trouble is always around the corner.”

That was when I fancied a glance behind the mailman. I paled at what I saw: the freaking Great Devourer was in the distance, slithering right toward us! _Oh, great!_ I hopped off the car, and Lloyd did, too, once he saw what I saw.

“I think I’ll be leaving now, because whatever you guys are up to, I want no part of it.”

The mailman turned around as a shadow loomed over him, and he was met with the sight of the Great Devourer towering over him, hissing loudly. The mailman screamed in terror. “S-S-SNAKE!!” He then proceeded to leap headfirst into the nearby trash can, hiding inside of it.

The Great Devourer then looked down at the four ninja, then all the mountains of junk behind them. Lloyd and I ran to the side out of the danger zone, Nya ushering us away.

“Hey!” Kai shouted, pulling on his mask. “It’s now or never, guys! Ninja, go!” He ran forward, twirling into his whirlwind of Spinjitzu. “Fire!”

The others followed his lead. “Earth!”

“Lightning!”

“Ice!”

The four of them came together as one, forming their giant Tornado of Creation like they had in the arena in Ouroboros before. Lloyd and I watched in amazement again as they formed their largest tornado yet. Lloyd, Nya, and I all sheltered behind the trailer, shielding our eyes from the dust created by the wind. The massive tornado sucked in tons of junk from around the junkyard, and after a long minute, the tornado vanished, leaving a brand new vehicle in its wake. It looked just like Kai’s designs, and it was amazing!

The Great Devourer lifted his head to strike at them.

“Zane!” Kai called from where he sat inside the tank. “Now!”

Zane, who sat manning the cannons in the back, shot a beam of the Sacred Flute’s music at the Great Devourer. Sadly, he missed, and the blast shot right over the snake’s head.

“Zane, what was that?” Cole exclaimed. “This isn’t target practice! You’re supposed to hit him, not give him a haircut.”

“May I remind you we just magically whipped up this heap of junk,” Zane retorted.

The Great Devourer rose its head to strike again.

“Well, I hope one of us created a reverse feature,” Kai said, “because… Reverse!”

Cole whacked a button on his console. “How’s this for reverse?”

The large tank reversed, crashing into a pile of tires behind them. It zoomed forward, dodging the Great Devourer’s head slamming into the ground where they had just been. They drove around, dodging the strikes, and Zane tried shooting it with the music again, but missed. They then drove up a pile of tires and over the junkyard wall, now beside the beast.

“I need your help holding him in place,” Zane said.

Jay pressed a button. “How’s this?” He shot two cables at the snake, and the claws at the end attached to his scaly skin. “Got him!”

The tank drove forward, crashing back through the walls into the junkyard again. This caused the Great Devourer’s head to crash to the ground as the ninja’s tank whirled around to face it. As its head slammed down onto the ground, I caught sight of a glowing green spot on its head.

“Zane! Before it gets away!” Kai shouted. “Now, Zane! Now! Take the shot!”

I watched from the sidelines with wide eyes, crossing my fingers.

“Charm your way out of _this_!” Zane yelled, firing another beam of flute music at the Great Devourer. This time, it struck the snake directly in the face, making it roar in pain as it crashed to the ground once more.

I gasped in delight, exchanging an excited smile with Lloyd. “They hit it!” It was working! We were winning!

Zane kept the music going, keeping the Great Devourer distorted and hissing in pain as it tried to recover. I heard the ninja shouting at each other, but couldn’t hear what they were saying. Then, suddenly, the end of the Devourer’s long tail appeared, raising its giant talon over the back of the ninja’s tank.

“Oh no!” I shouted.

The giant talon slammed down onto the back of the tank, where Zane was, destroying it and effectively cutting off the Sacred Flute’s music.

“Zane!”

Now freed from the music’s power, the Great Devourer hissed at us one more time, then slithered away. I ran over to the damaged part of the tank, Lloyd and Nya following me. _Please be okay, please be okay…_

“Is everyone okay?” Cole asked the other ninja.

“Where’s Zane?” Lloyd asked as we stopped next to them.

There was movement from the wreckage, and Zane appeared, clutching his head. “Right here,” he announced, turning to us. He was undamaged, except for one half of his face, which was sparking and now exposed the robotic parts underneath. “That was close.”

I let out a sigh of relief, running over to give him a quick hug. He hugged me back, assuring me that he was quite alright.

“Too close,” Kai agreed.

“Perfect,” Jay drawled as he climbed out of the tank. “Now _that_ was a total failure.”

“Not total,” Kai argued as we all gathered together again. “Did you guys notice on his forehead? It has a weak spot.”

“Oh, great,” Jay drawled sarcastically. “Let me make a note of that. Giant snake has wee, itty-bitty weak spot. That’ll be TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET AT because the thing is TOO RIDICULOUSLY HUGE to do ANYTHING to stop it!”

Nya gave him an unamused look. “Are you done?”

Jay made a long exhale to calm himself, then replied, “Yes.”

“Because things just got worse,” Nya announced. “Look!”

She pointed over to where the Great Devourer was slithering away. It was heading in a straight path away from the junkyard. After thinking for a moment, I remembered what lay in the direction that it was headed in. _Oh no!_

“It’s heading toward Ninjago City,” Zane stated grimly.

“That’s where my parents are!” Jay exclaimed worriedly.

“So is everyone else,” Cole pointed out.

Kai stepped forward. “If it consumes the biggest city in all of Ninjago, there will be no stopping it.”

I gulped, fear forming in the pit of my stomach again. If the Great Devourer wasn’t unstoppable before, it would be if we allowed it to consume the city.

But I knew that I had to be brave. _It’s not over yet. We’re gonna save the city and defeat the Devourer---I know we will!_

. . .

The seven of us hightailed it over to Ninjago City as fast as our vehicles could carry us, crossing the desert at record speeds. The ninja drove the new tank they’d created, and Nya carried me and Lloyd in her exo-suit. Once we finally arrived and sped down the streets to the center of the city, we found that the Great Devourer was already attacking everyone. The people all screamed and fled in panic, trying to run from the beast as it destroyed everything in its path.

The ninja all immediately leapt into action, attacking the giant snake and keeping it away from the innocent people. Jay rescued his parents, and the ninja all hit the Great Devourer with everything they had. Unfortunately, they only succeeded in making it angry, and didn’t really hurt it at all.

Nya’s suit was a little bit slower than the ninja’s tank, so we arrived on the scene a little bit after they did. Nya was having some trouble carrying me and Lloyd while she tried to fly and fight.

I clung onto her suit, my gi mask over my face again as I watched the destruction happen. People were screaming and fleeing in fear, wildly waving their arms for no apparent reason. I wished that there was something I could do, but what could I do against the giant Great Devourer?

That was when I caught sight of a building off to the left. It was damaged---probably having been whacked by the Great Devourer’s tail at some point. There was a group of people huddled together on the roof. I saw that the roof access had caved in on itself, meaning that the people were trapped up there.

“Hey, look!” I exclaimed, pointing them out. “Those people are trapped!” I looked up at Nya. “Drop me off over there, Nya. I’m gonna help them!”

“What?” Lloyd said, a little surprised at my request.

“That building’s unstable, Aurora,” Nya informed me. “Another attack from the Devourer, and it could collapse! It’s too dangerous for you. I can carry them down instead.”

I shook my head. “That’ll take too long,” I argued. “And it’ll be a lot more difficult if you’re having to carry me and Lloyd as well. Besides, the ninja need your help fighting the Devourer!”

Nya still seemed hesitant.

“I can do this, Nya,” I insisted, sensing that she didn’t want to put me in any unnecessary danger. The truth was that I had been in unnecessary danger so often recently that it didn’t bother me as much anymore. If there was a way I could help out, then I wanted to do it---a crumbling building wasn’t going to stop me!

After a moment, Nya nodded. “Alright,” she relented, heading toward the building. “But if you get into any trouble, yell for me.”

“Aye aye!” I replied, giving her a mock salute.

She quickly set me down on the roof. “Good luck, Aurora!” Lloyd shouted at me from where he was squished inside the exo-suit beside Nya.

I smiled up at him, waving. “Thanks, buddy!”

Nya then flew away, rejoining the battle with the Great Devourer. I turned around toward the group of people. They were all either scampering around frantically or huddling together in fear, terrified at being trapped on the roof. None of them really seemed to be trying to escape at all. I took a moment to shake my head. _Geez, they’re acting like Lloyd when he panics…_

“Everyone!” I shouted, waving my short arms as I approached the people. “Listen up!”

At my voice, the group of people stopped panicking, turning to look at me.

“It’s a tiny ninja!” one of them exclaimed in surprise.

I chose to ignore the comment about my size in favor of dealing with the issue at hand. “I’ve come to help you all get down from here!” I announced.

One man stepped forward. “But the access to the stairs collapsed!” He pointed over at the roof access point, which was covered in a pile of rubble. “And the debris is too heavy for us to move away!”

I hummed in thought, looking around for ideas. That was when I spotted the top of a tree peeking over a side of the roof. It was one of the trees from the park in the city’s center---they were _really_ tall, and most of them had been knocked over by the Great Devourer. This one just so happened to be leaning against the building, providing a straight way from the roof to the street below. _That’s it!_

I turned back to the group of people. “See that tree over there?” I told them, pointing to it. “You all can slide down it to safety!”

“Are you crazy?” someone exclaimed. “That giant snake is over there!”

“We’ll fall if we try to slide down that tree!” another voice shouted.

I sighed in frustration, taking a deep breath. Time to use my powers of persuasion. “Would you rather be stuck up here, on top of a building that could collapse at any moment?” I pointed out. “Look...I know this is all terrifying. To be honest, I’m a little scared out of my mind! But it’s my job to help you all get to safety. If you can be brave and face your fears, then nothing is impossible!”

Nobody responded for a moment. When I started to think that my inspirational words hadn’t worked on them, the man from before spoke up. “She’s right!” he exclaimed. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting out of here!” He then proceeded to run over to where the tree leaned against the building. He hopped down onto it, and I watched as he went sliding ungracefully down the trunk, yelling from the experience. Everyone else ran over to watch as he reached the end of the tree, safely landing rear-first on the street.

“I did it!” the man exclaimed happily.

The others gained confidence when he made it down safely. I watched with a triumphant smile as one by one all the people on the roof hopped down onto the fallen tree and slid down to safety. Once they were down on the street, they ran away in separate directions.

The last woman to go down turned to me before she left. “Thank you, tiny ninja!” she exclaimed with a smile, waving before disappearing over the edge.

I sputtered in shock, running over to shout down after her. “That’s _Yellow_ Ninja! I’m the Yellow Ninja!” Groaning in frustration, I walked away from the tree, crossing my arms in exasperation. “I am _not_ a tiny ninja…”

Hearing more screams and crashes, I ran back over to the edge, watching the fight go down below me. The ninja were still trying to fight the Great Devourer, now with the help of Samurai X. I sighed, leaning on the ledge. “Alright,” I mumbled to myself. “What now?”

That was when I heard a distant roar. It took me a moment to realize that the sound hadn’t come from the Great Devourer, but behind me. There was also a...flapping sound? Wings?

I turned around, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. When I looked up into the sky, my eyes caught sight of something that made them as wide as the moon. A giant grin spread over my face. “No freaking way!”

Meanwhile, Nya--with Lloyd inside her suit with her--had pried the Great Devourer’s mouth open with a light pole. She was dangling inside its mouth, keeping the beast from closing its mouth.

“Ugh!” Lloyd exclaimed. “Its breath smells worse than Cole’s chili!”

“Hey!” Cole exclaimed at the insult.

The Great Devourer thrashed wildly, trying to get the light pole out of its mouth. Nya struggled to hold onto it as the snake slammed its head against a building.

“Get out of there, sis!” Kai shouted up at her.

Nya’s suit started sparking. “I can’t!” she exclaimed. “I’m stuck!”

The Great Devourer started to bend the light pole with its mouth, slowly crushing it and growing closer and closer to snapping its jaws over Nya’s exo-suit. Nya and Lloyd screamed as the beast wildly shook his head, trying to make them let go so it could eat them.

That was when I swooped in.

Riding on the back of a massive, white-scaled, four-headed dragon--my new best friend--we slammed into the back of the Great Devourer’s head. The force knocked Nya’s suit safely out of the giant snake’s grasp.

“Woooooo-hoooooo!” I cheered loudly as the dragon soared through the air, me clinging tightly to its back.

“Aurora?!” everyone shouted from below.

I waved down at the ninja as the dragon circled the area. “What’s up, guys?!” I laughed in delight, high from the adrenaline coursing through me. _I’m riding a freaking dragon!_

“Rocky!” Cole exclaimed. “Our dragons are back!”

Zane offered an explanation. “It appears dragons go through a metamorphosis when they reach adulthood. They too have found their true potential!”

“But how did Aurora find them?” Jay inquired.

“Who cares?” Kai stated.

“Yeah!” Cole agreed. “They couldn’t have come at a better time! Go get ‘im, Rocky! Go!”

I leaned down to the dragon heads. “Ready for this?” I asked them, patting their scaly necks affectionately.

The dragon responded with an enthusiastic roar. I giggled, holding on tight as the dragon began its assault on the Great Devourer. The dragon swooped down towards it, a blast of ice billowing from its mouth and freezing the snake’s neck.

“Ice!” Zane shouted from below.

The dragon soared high above the giant snake, stopping and sending a large ball of fire down to explode against its head.

“Fire!” Kai yelled.

I gripped the dragon tightly as it dived again, unable to stop smiling from the excitement. The dragon shot a burst of lightning right into the Great Devourer’s face before flying away again.

“Lightning!” Jay cheered.

The dragon swooped down once more, one of its heads colliding with the Great Devourer’s head. A powerful, earthy shockwave sent the beast sprawling.

“Earth!” Cole shouted.

The Great Devourer slammed into the side of a building, finally releasing Nya and Lloyd. The Samurai exo-suit went falling through the air, plummeting down toward the street below. The dragon had the same thought I did, and swooped downward to catch them in its claws.

“Gotcha!” I exclaimed in glee.

I heard Lloyd cheering from inside the suit. “Yellow Ninja to the rescue!”

His words of enthusiasm and praise made me laugh, as always.

The dragon dropped them off in the park---rather roughly, but this was no time to be slow and gentle. The Great Devourer, meanwhile, had recovered from the dragon’s mighty attacks and slithered up a building. Its head stopped at the top of the building, now level with me and the dragon. It hissed at us threateningly, but we weren’t backing down. I steered the dragon as it attacked the giant snake, shooting lightning at its head, then freezing it with ice, then slamming back into the head again which made the ice shatter. The dragon was relentless, and I had full confidence that it would win against the overgrown snake monster.

“Can dragons and Aurora get any cooler?” Cole commented from where he and everyone else were watching on the ground. “Seriously!”

The dragon breathed a large stream of fire in the Great Devourer’s face, making it roar in pain. “Ha!” I cheered. “Take that!”

As we flew away again, the Great Devourer started slithering back down the building in a full retreat.

“Yes!” Kai exclaimed. “It’s running away!”

I did a little fist-pump in victory. “You’re amazing!” I praised the dragon, petting it once more. “Now, ready to reunite with the ninja?”

The dragon roared enthusiastically in response.

I chuckled. “Let’s go!”

The dragon needed no further encouragement, slowly descending to where the ninja were on the ground. It hovered above them, slowly coming in for a landing. I was all prepared to make a dramatic entrance.

Out of nowhere, the tail end of the Great Devourer burst from beneath the ground below the dragon, swiftly uppercutting it and sending us flying back into the sky.

“No!” everyone shouted.

“Aurora!” I heard Lloyd scream in terror.

I gripped onto the dragon for dear life as it flew lifelessly up into the air, trying not to fall off. Before the dragon could recover from the heavy blow, I saw the Devourer's tail rise above us, and gulped in fear. The huge talon at the end of the tail slammed down onto the dragon, sending us hurtling toward the ground. I screamed, keeping a death grip on the dragon, praying that I wouldn’t be flung off.

“NO!” Cole and Lloyd bellowed.

The dragon crashed to the ground, and that was when I was violently flung off. I landed hard on the ground, pain shooting through me. The world went blurry for a long moment, and my aching from earlier was now back in full force, making me squeeze my eyes shut in pain. I’d probably have even more bruises now…

“Aurora!” I heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching. Someone fell down beside me and grabbed me. I opened my eyes to see Lloyd, holding me in his arms and looking absolutely terrified. He was definitely more scared than when I’d been buried under those weapons earlier. “Are you okay?!” he asked as the others gathered around me and the dragon.

I struggled to sit up, my body protesting as I did so, and tugged off my mask. Lloyd helped me, and I gave him a reassuring smile through the pain. “Never...better!” I told him, trying to sound enthusiastic. A part of me was just still really happy that I had ridden on the back of a dragon.

Nya hovered over me, checking me out for injuries. After finding nothing broken, she looked up at the guys. “What now?” she asked them.

I looked at the dragon, growing sad as I saw it lying there in pain. I reached out to pet its head comfortingly. _Poor thing…_

The Great Devourer was still roaming the streets, attacking everyone and everything in sight. I heard the people’s screams, and wondered what we were going to do now. While the ninja tended to the dragon, Lloyd slowly helped me to my feet, letting me lean on him as I grunted and hissed in pain. My whole body was hurting badly, but at least I could still stand.

That was when Lloyd caught sight of something nearby. Or should I say, some _one_. “You came back!” he exclaimed in joy.

I followed his gaze to see his father approaching us. I smiled; for some reason, I wasn’t that surprised.

“Give me the weapons,” Lord Garmadon told us. “I am the only one who can handle the power of all four weapons at once. It’s the only thing that’ll defeat the Devourer.”

The ninja, of course, were very reluctant. “Uh, I thought we were supposed to do everything in our power _not_ to let him possess the weapons,” Jay said.

“I’ve ran every other scenario through my servers,” Zane announced. “It appears to be the only way.”

We all looked to where the Great Devourer was slithering through the streets, chasing the citizens as they wildly ran away in panic. I had a sinking feeling that Zane was right.

“Give me the weapons,” Garmadon repeated.

Zane turned to his brothers. “Kai?”

“Only I can destroy it,” the dark lord insisted. “Or prepare to watch---”

“Quit your yammering and just do it,” Kai stated, tossing Garmadon his fire sword. “When you have a chance to make the blow, it has a weak spot near its forehead.”

One by one, all the ninja handed their Golden Weapon over to Lord Garmadon.

“Uh, I don’t think this needs to be said,” Jay told him, “but we’re gonna need these back.”

Garmadon chuckled darkly to himself. “I’ll do my part; you just make sure he stays in one spot.” He then began cackling maniacally, turning around and running off to get into position. It vaguely reminded me of Lloyd when I first met him.

“Stays in one spot?” Jay echoed. “Stays in one spot?! How are we supposed to do that?!”

Kai responded with a smirk. “Don’t forget: we’re ninja.”

The ninja all quickly formed a plan, then scurried off to enact it. Meanwhile, Nya took me and Lloyd and found refuge on top of a building where we would be able to see it all go down.

Down on the street below, Kai jumped in front of the Great Devourer, who was slithering along the road between the buildings. Kai taunted the beast, then started to run as the Devour pursued him. He stopped to jump onto a bus passing by under the bridge. The Devourer continued to follow him angrily. 

They soon ran into Cole, who picked up the chase from there. Cole ran in front of the snake and led it to an alleyway, jumping on cars along the way. When it couldn’t follow him, the Great Devourer slithered upward to the roof of the building, seeing Jay waiting for it.

Jay jumped off of the roof to another as the snake followed him down. Jay made it across the rooftops and into the construction site of a building. Before the Devourer got the chance to eat him, Jay used his true potential to fly upwards, leading it to Zane.

Zane created an ice slide for them to escape on. The two of them jumped onto the ice slide before the monster destroyed the construction site. The snake followed them as they traveled down the slide, until there was no slide left. The two ninja flew into the air, the Great Devourer behind them with his mouth wide open. 

I cheered as the dragon swooped in and caught the two of them as Cole steered it, Kai riding behind him. 

“You think it's working?” I heard Jay ask.

“We're about to find out,” Kai announced. 

They flew around and followed the Great Devourer’s long body. To their relief, the monstrous snake was now all tangled up, having bitten its own tail. The giant talon on the end was keeping it stuck like that.

The ninja all cheered. “We did it!” Cole exclaimed as they flew over to where Nya, Lloyd, and I were. We all waved at them in glee, congratulating them on their victory. Lloyd was still letting me lean on him---I didn’t want to trust my legs to stand on their own just yet. Shortly, the ninja landed next to us as we all watched the Great Devourer struggle down below. 

“Now, where's Garmadon?” Cole wondered. “He's not gonna hold on for much longer.”

Lloyd pointed at the top of a building across from us, higher than where we were. “Look!”

As we all looked upward, the sky suddenly turned dark and ominous. At the center of it was Lord Garmadon, holding the four Golden Weapons high.

Lloyd gazed up at him, tugging off his mask. “Dad!” he exclaimed.

I saw his father briefly give us a glance before turning his attention down to the Great Devourer below him. He growled in fury. “You’re the reason evil runs through my blood.”

He activated all the weapons. They began to glow an eerie purple, and a moment later, a huge blue shockwave of pure power rippled through the air. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as my eyes remained glued to him in anticipation.

“You bit me once. Now, feel what it’s like to be bitten back!”

Lord Garmadon then jumped off the building, diving down, down, down, heading straight for the Great Devourer trapped below.

“Go get ‘im, Dad,” Lloyd mumbled next to me.

Garmadon yelled in rage as he fell. “Vengeance...will be mine!”

And then, he struck the Great Devourer’s weak spot head-on. The giant snake reared its head upward, roaring in fury and pain and it started glowing. Then, it exploded, releasing a massive tsunami of green goo in all directions throughout Ninjago City. Lloyd and I hid our faces in each other’s shoulders, shielding ourselves from most of it.

Once the huge wave of goo had settled down, cheers rose up from the streets as the people of Ninjago City celebrated. A wide grin broke across my face, and everyone else was smiling, too.

The Great Devourer was gone for good.

“He did it,” I said in awe, grinning widely.

Cole turned to me. “No--- _we_ did it!”

Lloyd and I exchanged a joyful look, hugging in delight. I hissed at the pain the pressure on my bruises caused. “Ow.”

“Oops,” Lloyd said, pulling away from me. “Sorry!”

I laughed at him. “To be honest, I don’t even care right now.” I was too happy and relieved.

The people down below us ran out of their hiding places, dancing and frolicking in the streets. They all cheered loudly, just as happy as we were that the giant snake was dead.

Eventually, we all descended from the roof and went back to the streets below. We walked down the street, waving at people as they cheered for us. Lloyd helped me walk, keeping an arm around my waist as I kept my arm around his shoulder.

Jay’s parents ran up to him, embracing their son. “Ooh, our little ninja!” his mother exclaimed proudly.

The dragons landed nearby, and Cole went running to greet them. “Heh, there you are, you big lug,” he greeted, petting one of the dragon’s heads. “It’s good to have you back!”

One of the heads then nudged me. I giggled, holding the head in my hands as Lloyd let me go. “Hey there, big fella!” I greeted, hugging the affectionate dragon and petting its scaly head.

Lloyd looked around, frowning. “I don’t...see my dad,” he announced.

“He should be around here somewhere,” Kai assured him.

Zane scanned the area. “Your analysis is incorrect,” he said after a moment. “He is not here.”

“Then our Golden Weapons are gone, too!” Cole exclaimed. “Well, isn’t that convenient!”

Lloyd hung his head, standing at the edge of the bridge. I frowned, limping over to stand at his side and give him a comforting side hug.

“Look!” Nya interjected. “His footsteps.”

She pointed to where a path of green footsteps led out of the Devourer goo, disappearing around a corner. Lloyd perked up from the hug to look at them, but frowned once again.

“I think you’ll be seeing your father again soon,” I told him, trying to be reassuring.

“I know,” Lloyd replied. “But that’s what I’m afraid of…”

_Right…_ I remembered the prophecy. _We’re going to have to fight him one day._

Cole suddenly gasped. “Huh?!” he exclaimed, a smile erupting on his face. “Sensei Wu!”

We all frantically looked in the direction he was looking. Sure enough, picking himself up out of the pile of green goo was Sensei Wu himself. He looked tired, but seemed to be perfectly okay. A large smile spread over my face. _He’s alive!_

“Wow!” Nya exclaimed.

“Ha!” Jay exclaimed. “Would you look at that! He survived!”

Lloyd’s depression immediately went away. He let me hop onto his back, giving me a piggyback ride as we all jumped down onto the street, sprinting at full speed to go and greet our sensei and friend that we had thought was gone for good.

Sensei Wu smiled widely when we all reached him. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you!” He walked past us and bent down, magically finding his teapot in the pile of Devourer goo. “The Great Devourer left a bad taste in my mouth.” He poured himself a cup of tea, sipped it, and then sighed in satisfaction. “Ah, much better. And still hot!” He chuckled.

Lloyd set me down, then walked up to him. “It’s good to have you back, uncle,” he greeted. “But my father left, and he took the Golden Weapons!”

“Ah, very true,” the old sensei replied, placing a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “The ability of the weapon is truly great, but the ability to better oneself makes you limitless.”

“I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Jay stated.

“Besides,” Kai said, walking over and placing his hands on my and Lloyd’s shoulders, “we have what is most important: the two of you.”

Sensei Wu smiled proudly. “The pupils have become the masters.”

Lloyd frowned. “Are Aurora and I really gonna have to fight my father one day?”

“One day,” Sensei confirmed. “But today, we can feel good that Ninjago is saved, for tomorrow, you will both train for the day. Good will finally face evil, and a final outcome will be decided for all of time.”

No pressure or anything.

In the gravity of the destiny that awaited me and Lloyd, I felt strangely confident. Sure, the two of us going up against _the_ Lord Garmadon seemed like a daunting, impossible battle. But that’s exactly why we had to fight it. Today, we had proven that the impossible was achievable: the Great Devourer was gone! With time, training, and confidence, I knew that somehow we would be able to defeat the evil that we were destined to fight. After all, we were both ninja now---and ninja never quit.

“Uh, but don’t worry!” Kai rushed to interject. “We’re gonna teach you everything we know.”

“And make sure you both are prepared for that fight,” Jay assured us.

“Because we all know, good will always stand up to evil,” Cole stated.

“And ninja always stand up for what is right,” Zane added.

Lloyd and I exchanged knowing smiles, and we grabbed each other’s hand. I didn’t care what lied ahead of us, or what the world would throw at us next. No matter what, as long as we stood by each other’s side, we could do anything we put our minds to, overcome any evil. And nothing would ever be able to break the bond that we’d formed---not now, not ever.

I stood amongst the people I was delighted to call my family, grinning back at all the smiling faces around me. By choosing to follow the son of Lord Garmadon that one day I had found the family that I'd always wanted. I had received my wish: I had found a home, at last.

Together, we all leapt up into the air as one, in a unified cheer of victory.

“Go, ninja, go!”

  
  


**_The End_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I mentioned in the previous chapter, I will be posting season 2 soon. I'd like to finish writing it all before I start posting it (or at least get very close), but I also don't wanna keep you guys waiting. It may not come out until next week, but I promise you won't have to wait a year or anything like that!


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